


The End of Fear - A Black Dagger Brotherhood Novel

by Hawk



Category: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Genre: Angels, Character Death, Explicit Sex, F/M, Romance, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-11
Updated: 2012-03-11
Packaged: 2017-11-01 19:03:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 71,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/360191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawk/pseuds/Hawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lassiter wasn't a warrior with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. He was a fallen angel, sent to bring back and help a Brother who was lost after the murder of his mate and their unborn child. But the human woman he loved, the woman he craved, was supposed to fight with the Brotherhood. And if the angel was going to help her find her destiny, and get to keep her for himself, first he had to stand aside and let her life shatter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. 
> 
> The only characters I claim for my own are Rio and Jace.
> 
> I decided to reread this since it's been a while & came to the conclusion it needed a little reworking. Nothing major, just some sentence movement, a few word changes, a little tightening up. And all that pesky formatting I apparently missed the first go around. Hopefully, it's all good to go now.

Rio leaned back on the futon and stared out the patio door. The darkness had settled in over the back yard like a massive wave, covering everything it touched. With one foot propped on the coffee table, the other ankle bouncing on her bent knee, she felt the restlessness surge and ebb through her. Before long the tingling and itching made their familiar presence known and Rio pulled in a deep breath, holding it for several moments before letting it out in an explosive rush.

There had to be more to life than this, she thought as she dragged her nails up her arms and rubbed her thighs hard. Days were bad enough but when the night moved in, the internal shift was becoming too much for her. She felt like a stranger as the sun set and the night opened the door to a different world. Despite the edginess that crawled over her every night, Rio came alive. She felt like a different person; awake, sharper, her senses flaring out in all directions, looking for... she didn't know what. But it was there. Somewhere.

Yet despite the flush of life, of unnamed emotions that flooded her every sundown, she knew something vital was missing. And that absence left a hole in her. A hole that she couldn't fill no matter how hard she tried. The ache it brought was one of the few things that scared her – badly. Rio didn't dwell on fear much but as the ache seized her chest tight she dropped her head back on the couch and closed her eyes.

She had spent a good part of her life afraid of a lot of shit. But her fears had always been more of the emotional kind rather than of anything physical. As she'd worked her way through a lonely childhood into an even lonelier adolescence the thought of any physical pain had always kicked off a shot of steel through her. Even now those memories resurfaced easily and she felt the gates that had protected her slam open with a bang.

_Bring it on. Go ahead, try to hurt me. See if it even matters._

But in the next second the pain changed and she grabbed for the gates in a shuddering panic. She heard the words always spoken, saw the looks given, the faces that turned away; their disappointment, their dismissal, their superiority that had sliced through her like whips of acid. Burning through skin and bone, dissolving her heart in strips, going for her soul to finish her off.

But Rio had encased her soul in a steel shell very early in life, before she even knew why it was necessary. And then she'd set out to try to prove to everyone around her that she was worth caring about, was worth... something. She became a chameleon. Whatever anyone needed, she became. Became, did, was. Became the one everyone could count on, no matter what. Did every job necessary, especially the ones no one else wanted to do. Was always there; to fetch and carry, to listen, to offer advice, to take the shit that somebody needed to take from everybody who needed to give it.

And there were those who said she was great. That she always understood whatever another person was going through, what they felt, more than anyone else had. That with a sentence or two she could sum up another person's anguish perfectly, and always knew the right thing to say to them to help them feel better, more worthy.

Yet what she could do so easily for others couldn't be done for herself. So despite all, Rio was a shadow. Alone in a crowd. And everyone's doormat. Because no matter how great everyone said she was the moment she disagreed with anyone about anything, the moment she wanted or needed something for herself that might mean not doing for someone else, their desertion crushed her down and the emotional vacuum they left had her fighting for breath, everything in her screaming for salvation.

Adulthood hadn't turned out much better but after several relationships that ended badly, but predictably, something in her had died and she'd realized that she didn't care anymore how far that death went.

Most people fight the world around them and keep it all together because the fear of death outweighs their fear of the daily unknown and so they work at living. The day Rio realized she'd reached an easier acceptance of death than of the nowhere direction of her life, that shot of steel had ripped her open and brought a realization. Nothing or nobody around her was worth her death.

That was the moment of her first internal shift and most of her fear died with that realization. She didn't care what anyone thought of her anymore. No more doormat. No more sucking up everybody's shit because really, it wasn't doing her a damn bit of good anyway. And if everyone wanted to treat her like a bitch because she didn't bow down and scrape before them anymore, well... she had a detailed map of how to go to hell and she was perfectly willing to make copies for anybody who needed one.

She woke up one morning, called work and said sorry but goodbye. There was no one else to call since she'd said goodbye to her family a whole lot of years before. So she packed up her basics, pulled out a map, closed her eyes and pushed a pin into the first place it landed. Albuquerque, NM. Leaving the map pinned to her kitchen table she headed for the bus depot.

And that was how Rio had lived for a long time. She was already looking for something even though she didn't recognize it yet. And there were those over the years who insisted the only reason she kept moving was because she was trying to run away from herself. She paid no more attention to them than she had to all those others who insisted she stay because they still needed a door mat. But even through all the moves, she hadn't been alone anyway.

Rio drew in a deep breath and popped her eyes open. The trip through nostalgia not only hadn't erased the ache choking her up inside but it seemed to have cracked open a new one. She pressed hard on the middle of her chest, wishing like hell the damn pain would go away but unwilling to admit there could be any reason why it was suddenly a whole lot worse.

"Well, wasn't that fun," she muttered as she pulled on her leather jacket. "The perfect mind set for a solitary visit to the local cesspool."

She touched the small of her back, checking the dagger sheathed up along her spine under her black wife-beater and headed for the door of her small garden apartment. She shook her head, smirking softly. ZeroSum wasn't a cesspool… exactly. It was one of the most successful clubs in town but it still had its undercurrents. Didn't they all.

Like all clubs, the booze, drugs and sex flowed through its doors like a raging river. It was definitely not the place you wanted to take Mom and Dad for an evening out when they dropped by for a visit. But when you needed a zone where the music surged through your veins like a tide, where the ebb and flow of bodies and energy made you feel alive, where you could choose to sit in the shadows and watch a portion of humanity scramble and claw for a few moments of feeling like their world was ok, well, it was the best place around. As Rio rubbed at the ache in the center of her chest she nodded. The shadows were beckoning.

Half an hour later she was standing in the line outside the club. She had no car so she walked most places and the club was no different. She knew it wasn't the safest idea, especially because she was alone, but it was also one of the reasons she felt alive. It was her _fuck you_ to the possibilities that lurked in the dark, the sinuous slink and stalk that waited for the next victim to drift by. Despite her past Rio had never viewed herself as a victim in that way, even with the shit in the dark she'd been unable to stop from happening. So as she walked her eyes moved constantly; sharp, clear, watching for whatever waited and knowing that because she watched it was less likely to catch her. At least not without a fight.

She crossed her arms over her chest and heaved a sigh, wondering how long she'd be stuck out here tonight. This week so far hadn't been much different than any other week. Two nights ago it had taken two and a half hours to get to the door. Last night was quicker. Only an hour and a half. Still, it sucked some of the excitement out of the night when you stood around like a wallflower at the school dance waiting to be picked.

She heard a quick flurry of noise and when the two girls behind her started shuffling and giggling she turned. There they were again and she understood what was doing with the carefully sprayed, starched and preserved twinkies. Three young men were approaching them and despite the fact Rio wasn't there to pick up anyone, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of them.

They were beautiful. There was no other way to describe them. All three were huge, standing around six four to six seven at least. They towered over her five foot five inches and for once in her life she felt small around a man. Under the black leather jackets, hard-core black Affliction t-shirts were stretched tight over heavy chest muscles and distressed jeans molded to the thick, solid thighs of two of them. The camo pants sported by the third were just... well, he looked good enough to eat.

Rio recognized them from previous nights. It was fairly obvious they were regulars and at least one of them was always happy to see the ladies in the line. That was the one in the camo pants tonight. Achingly handsome with spiked short black hair, the heavy silver chain with a medallion around his thick neck was new. What really drew female attention were his mesmerizing eyes. One blue, one green with a red and black teardrop tattooed under the left one, this also new, his stare burned through you like raw sex. Put that together with his big hard body and you could almost hear the girls' orgasms as he ran his eyes over them.

Rio couldn't hold back her smile as he rolled to a stop just behind her. She ran her hands through her long auburn curls, pushing the heavy mass off her face, the smirk barely in check. When she looked up one of the trio was looking closely at her. The redhead had a gentleness shining from his blue eyes that took some of the edge off his size and had Rio's smirk softening into a self-conscious smile. She laughed gently and shook her head a bit before looking back at him. The other two now turned to her as well and she caught a glimpse of the angry frustration swallowing the two hopefuls behind her.

"You were here the last two nights, weren't you?" The redhead's soft voice sent a shiver through Rio.

"I was." She nodded, holding his stare.

Interest flared in the mismatched eyes of his friend and he stepped closer, running his hot gaze over her body. Rio could almost smell the hate pouring off the pair of Barbies and swallowed hard to hold in the hysterical laughter threatening to erupt at the irony of it all. She was getting the attention of at least two of the three men but despite the fact they were seriously gorgeous, she would have handed their interest to the Barbie twins in a heartbeat. She was looking for something, that was true, but despite the good looks and raw sex pouring off all those muscles and sharp angles these guys weren't it. And she knew the interest of the third man – the tallest and biggest of the three – was already held by someone inside the club. She'd seen his incredible piercing blue eyes blaze to life whenever he looked at the club's female head of security, Ms Alex Hess.

"Are you here alone?" the one with the teardrop asked, glancing at the bodies around her in the lineup.

"Always." Rio tipped her head briefly, looking from him back to his redheaded friend.

Rio's interest caught as she saw the relief shift through his eyes when she turned to him and she realized quickly it wasn't her attention to him that loosened his sudden tension. It was her apparent lack of interest in his friend and she dropped her eyes for a moment, fighting again to hold her smile. Red wasn't interested in the girls, he was interested in his friend. Who either didn't know or was too caught up in the sex of the night to acknowledge it. Just went to show that not all the shit that went down in cesspools happened on the inside.

The low purr rolled over her like a heat wave. "Well, we might have to change that. I'm Qhuinn."

Rio nodded once then looked at the redhead, her eyebrows raised.

"I'm Blaylock," he said, his voice soft, quiet.

She smiled and nodded at both of them. "Wow, nice."

Blaylock turned to the third man. "This is John. He doesn't speak so he uses ASL."

Rio's eyebrows shot up and immediately she signed, _Hi, how are you?_

She saw the shock on their faces and John signed back, _You know ASL?_

Grinning in delight at his pleasant shock she signed, _Some. A little bit._

John signed back, _I'm fine. How are you?_

_I'm fine. Can you hear?_

He nodded with a smile and Rio finished her thought using sign language. _Ok. You're only speech impaired._ She nodded and spoke aloud then.

"I'm Rio. Close your mouths, boys," she snickered. "God didn't put you here to be fly catchers."

Qhuinn and Blaylock grinned sheepishly as they closed their mouths and straightened up and John quickly signed a question.

"No, nobody in my family is deaf. I've just always been fascinated by the language so I learned it online. Actually, I'm still learning it, which is why I won't admit to knowing more than a little."

"You know, we should go inside," Qhuinn spoke up. "We can carry on this conversation in comfort and with a drink. Come in with us and you won't have to hang around in this lineup."

Rio shot a quick look at the girls behind them. "You know, I'd love to bypass this _hope-I-get-in_ line but maybe you should think about adding to your circle of friends."

Qhuinn tipped his head, a slight frown pulling his eyebrows together. "Not that I have anything against a party, but why?"

"Because the only thing I want is faster access to that door." Rio nodded in the direction of the bouncer blocking the entrance to the club. "I want a drink, I want to listen to whatever crap techno is playing, I want to sit in the shadows and watch everyone else's party go down. That's all I'm looking for tonight. I don't want to give you any false expectations."

Qhuinn sobered up a bit at her tone and his eyes sharpened as he watched her. "What makes you think I want anything different?"

Rio burst out laughing, a low, velvet smooth sound that had heads turning her way. "Oh, honey, _different_ just rolls off you. I can smell it."

John flashed a wide smile and knocked Qhuinn a good one in the shoulder. Blaylock coughed, his face blushing nicely and Rio reacted without thinking about it. She reached up and stroked a finger down his cheek, laughing again softly as his face lit up to an even brighter red. She reached out and slipped her arm through his and shot a look over her shoulder at the other two.

"Come on, gorgeous, you I'm sticking with. Your boy is too hungry tonight. What I want he couldn't find enough of to give away."

John fell in step on her other side, shaking his head and laughing silently and another quick glance over her shoulder showed the Barbie twins glued to Qhuinn. Even though his gaze was on her, he pulled the girls close and they lit up like halogen lights.


	2. Chapter 2

John stepped in front of Rio as they reached the door, leading the way. The bouncer nodded once and moved aside and their small group stepped into a wall of noise. She felt the energy fill her instantly, flooding through her chest. She drew in a deep breath and felt tension she didn't know she was holding drain away. Blaylock shifted against her and she looked up as he took her hand.

"You ok?" he asked in her ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she breathed and flashed him a grin.

Qhuinn and his groupies moved past them and with John following closely they all headed toward the VIP section at the back. The night was well underway for most of those already inside and they wove their way through packed bodies. They passed a trio of men, all of whom were feeling no pain. Despite their level of numbness they appeared to be squabbling over who would get the two women with them and as Blaylock and Rio started past them, one of the men pushed the other one. He stumbled backward and Blaylock yanked Rio toward him and out of the way.

"Hey, wait a minute," the third man called out aggressively from behind them, his voice slurred. "I got one. We don't have to share anymore."

Rio looked down as hot hands clamped around her waist and before Blaylock could make a move she was wrenched from his hold and dragged into the midst of the fighting drunks. Blaylock yelled her name and took a step forward.

Rio saw anger and fear for her safety flash across his face. John and Qhuinn both turned and immediately started toward them, their fury twisting their good looks into something deadly.

Rio saw it all in the split second after the drunk dragged her against him then she shut down everything but the feel of the man digging his fingers into her arms. She didn't hesitate. She let herself drop and when he stumbled his hold on her loosened. Instantly, she pushed herself upright and yanked her elbow free. In a swift move she drove her arm up and back, twisting at the same time, and slammed her elbow into his nose. Blood flowed as his nose broke and he yelled, his hands going to his face. Rio didn't stop. It wasn't enough yet. She shot her foot out and connected with his knee, the crunch loud enough to be heard by anyone standing close to them. His leg snapped backward and this time his scream drowned out all the sound around them.

"You fucking bitch!" he yelled, already going down. "My fucking leg!"

Rio reached out and grabbed his hair. She flung him hard in the direction he was already going – down. As his face slammed into the floor she stepped on the back of his neck, holding him down and ignoring the gurgling he made as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you next?" she snapped, her voice hard, cold, pointing at his friend as he took a lurching step toward her.

He stumbled to a stop and in the next breath Rio was surrounded. Blaylock, Qhuinn and John closed in on three sides of her and Alex Hess, the club's head of security, swooped down in front of her. She grabbed Rio's assailant by the hair and dragged him to his feet.

It had all gone down so fast there was shock on the woman's face and Rio instinctively knew this tough female didn't let this kind of shit go down in her house if she could help it. And she also wasn't usually on the cleanup end of things either.

Rio was breathing hard, more from anger than exertion. She ran her hands through the heavy mass of hair and as her fury bled away she couldn't help herself. With a quick smile, she winked at Alex. As the head of security dragged the drunk away on his one good leg, his broken one dragging uselessly behind him, Rio saw the twitch catch at Alex's mouth.

"Rio, that was fucking amazing!" Qhuinn caught her face in his hands, his grin tight. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Blaylock turned her from Qhuinn, pressing her hands to his broad chest.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, the worry still flooding his face.

"Are you kidding, Blay?" Qhuinn cried, shaking his head. "Did you see her? She's gonna kick your ass if you get outta hand."

Rio laughed as Blaylock pulled her close and tucked her under his shoulder. They followed the other two up the steps leading to the VIP section and past the velvet rope separating it from the club's gen pop area. The Barbies were waiting and as soon as Qhuinn got within range they latched onto him like fly paper, flashing Rio another look of envy. Destination - the open banquette at the far back corner right next to the exit.

Rio stepped away from Blaylock, scanning the area for an empty table. He caught her hand as she started to move away and pulled her close again.

"Where are you going?" He frowned in confusion.

"I told you I just needed in," she reminded him. "I'm not looking for anything else."

"No, come." Blaylock tugged on her hand.

"Fuck that," Qhuinn turned, agreeing with his friend. "You sit with us, right, John?"

John nodded enthusiastically, signing quickly but carefully. _You're with us. No pressure._

Rio dropped her head, not speaking for a long moment. Finally she nodded and without lifting her head she signed _Ok._

"Good," Qhuinn pronounced, turning back to their table. "Now let's get those drinks happening."

Rio slid into the booth beside one of the Barbie twins and nodded in approval. Right where she wanted to be – in the shadows. She would've preferred to be alone but all things considered, she could live with this. At least for tonight.

The waitress stopped in front of their table, waiting with half a smile. Qhuinn ordered for himself and the girls and translated John's preference. Blaylock asked for a Corona then looked at Rio.

"No beer for me. Allergic. I'll have a Grey Goose, straight up. And a shot of JD."

"You don't fool around, do you?" Blaylock asked with a smile.

Rio smiled back. "Well, I don't do the shot every time but after that dance out there," she jerked her chin in the direction of gen pop, "I think I'm good for one this round."

The drinks came and raising her shot glass in a toast to the table she downed it in a quick swallow. Qhuinn's attention was riveted to the two girls draped over him but she saw both John and Blaylock cock an eyebrow at her as she set her glass down. She snickered and raised her vodka glass to them before taking a drink.

It wasn't long after Qhuinn shot at look at John who slid out of the booth to let his friend and the Barbie twins out. Rio watched Blaylock's face tighten up as he pretended not to watch the three of them head to the large private bathrooms in the back. He signaled to the waitress who nodded without coming over. Rio quickly raised her shot glass and shook her head then reached out and stroked a finger lightly over the back of Blay's hand, the one clenched into a fist. He sucked his breath in and clenched the hand tighter.

"Easy, sweetheart," she murmured. "That 'no pressure' promise has no specific name on it, you know."

"Sorry," he answered. "I didn't mean to..."

"No worries." She took a long slow breath. "Do you ever just stay home? Or go... somewhere else? Anywhere else?"

He shot her a quick look. Rio held his eyes, her look direct, full of knowledge. She knew he could see her compassion for him, her empathy for the pain of his situation, but there was no judgment, no condemnation. Just the sorrow that it was what it was and none of the parties involved seemed able to change it. Blaylock shot a glance at John who returned the look with his usual solid support. He turned back to Rio with a small sigh. The sound laid out the truth in no uncertain terms.

"No." He shook his head. "What would be the point? I'd still know and I'm not sure it would hurt any less."

"It might. At least you wouldn't have to watch it happen."

Blaylock's smile was so empty, his face so ruined, that Rio felt her heart wrench in her chest, locking her breath inside.

"I'd still see it played out in my mind," he murmured softly. "At least here I'm close to him. And he isn't always with... someone else."

Her lungs unlocked and she sucked in a light gasp. She cleared her throat a couple of times then spoke in a low, hoarse voice. "Oh, baby, what I'd put on the line for you if I thought it would make a difference."

She felt John watching her with sharp speculation but she never took her eyes off Blaylock. His shock was apparent but he let her hold his gaze steady. She stretched out her hand toward him and waited. The seconds ticked by until Blaylock finally reached out. He captured her hand uncertainly and she twisted her fingers through his and squeezed firmly. Blaylock turned her hand over and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips to her inner wrist. Rio raised her eyebrows in surprise then slid her palm down his cheek.

John signaled the waitress for another round and as she dropped the drinks and turned away he shot upright, his hands clenching on the table. Before Rio could ask what was wrong a figure stopped in the shadows in front of them.

"Do you want to move over a little there, John Matthew?" a low, hard female voice spoke. "I'd like to sit down for a minute, talk some business with your friend here."

John shifted a few inches further into the booth but nowhere near enough to make anyone else sliding in comfortable. Rio fought to hold back her smile, biting down on her bottom lip till it hurt. Alex Hess slid slowly into the booth and Rio knew by the sudden low hiss coming from the male beside her that the security head's thigh was pressed against his.

"John?" she spoke quietly, the warning clear in her voice, and he slowly inched a little further away.

"My name's Alex Hess. I'm head of security here." She looked at Rio, who nodded twice.

"I've heard that," she acknowledged.

"I've seen you here a few times now," Alex continued. "You got a name?"

"Rio."

Alex cocked an eyebrow, waiting for a last name that didn't come. "Rio what?" she finally asked.

"Just Rio."

Alex's eyebrow climbed a little higher and the light hanging over the table cast shadows on her face, turning her surprise into something dark.

"Well, just Rio, I notice you always come in alone, tonight being a surprising exception. You don't drink a lot and if you do, you don't get sloppy. You don't cause any trouble and you always leave alone. You don't seem particularly disturbed by anything that goes on around you here and I can't say that I've seen any... disapproval over anything, either. Is that a fairly accurate assessment so far?"

Rio leaned her elbows on the table and clasped her hands in front of her, propping her chin on them. With a single nod and a shrug of her shoulders, she indicated her agreement with everything Alex had just said. Then she waited.

The security head's eyes shifted to the general population area past the glassed-in waterfall that separated to two sections of the club. She shot her chin out in a quick movement then looked back at Rio. "That was an impressive display out there with that sack of shit. Can you do that any time you need to or was it a fluke tonight?"

She felt Blaylock shift beside her and the tension that tightened John's body told her she was probably right about where her thoughts were heading. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering.

"Well, the last time I had to worry about it they were sober. And both armed." She paused for a moment and felt the tension at the table crank up. "I believe the family still takes flowers to the -  _him_... every week," she finished softly, her eyes locked on the female sitting across from her. 

The energy at the table thrummed through the air and after a few moments a hard tight smile lifted the corners of Alex's mouth. Approval flared briefly in her eyes and she nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you learn to fight like that?"

Rio laughed softly. She leaned back in her seat and dropped her hands to the table top. "You aren't gonna believe this but I don't have a clue. I think of a situation. I close my eyes. I see it in my head, every movement needed. Then I walk through it, every step. If I can do it smoothly, if the movements are possible and easy to reach for, that's it." She shrugged. "If not, I start over and do it till it is."

Alex stared at her. Rio saw the reluctant amazement in her eyes, the belief that her explanation was so unorthodox it had to be a joke. Yet she had seen it in action.

"You have got to be kidding," she finally said, her voice flat.

Rio grinned and shook her head. "That's it. All of it."

"Fucking unbelievable," Alex breathed.

This time Rio caught the waitress's eye. Alex didn't speak until the drinks were on the table. She seemed to come to a decision and abruptly straightened up.

"Are you working anywhere right now?"

"I am unfortunately in between jobs at the moment. And I don't mind telling you it sucks."

"What did you do?"

Rio grinned ruefully and rubbed her forehead. Then she laughed as she let her breath out in a huff, drawing her hand down over her face. "I was an admin assistant and a dispatcher at Caldwell Trucking."

There was several seconds of dead silence and then Alex spoke, her voice shaking with incredulity. "You. Are. Fucking. Kidding. Me."

Her stare cut through Rio like a high powered drill. Blaylock burst out laughing and John slammed his fist into table, his body shaking silently.

At that moment, Qhuinn strode into view. He was alone and trying desperately to straighten out his clothing. His hair was in fabulous disarray, his lips swollen and red. His beautiful mismatched eyes had a glassy sheen to them and everything about him looked thoroughly used and well satisfied by it.

"What's doing?" he asked as he slid into the booth beside Blaylock, who was still laughing.

Rio held up a finger, putting him on hold for a moment but not taking her eyes off Alex.

"With those skills," Alex said in the same tone, like Rio was yanking her chain just for kicks and giggles. "A fucking secretary."

Rio held up a finger again and shook her head. "Not a secretary. An admin assistant."

Once again, Blaylock's laughter rang across the table and John shook his head. Rio's grin split her face wide and still not taking her eyes off the security head's stunned face she lost control over her own laughter.

"This is such bullshit," Alex said, shaking her head in defeat.

"It is what it is," Rio agreed with a sigh, her laughter drifting away. "And pretty much the story of my life. So, where are we going from here?"

Qhuinn's eyes bounced around the table, taking in the expressions on each face. It was obvious something was in the works and just like everyone else who wasn't directly involved he held his breath, waiting. Time stretched out as the two women locked eyes, neither one making the first move. Alex seemed to be digging into Rio looking for some sign of weakness, some flicker of uneasiness at the directness of her gaze. Rio held her stare; calm, rock solid, like the outcome didn't matter in the least and so wasn't worth worrying about.

Finally Alex nodded, satisfied at whatever she saw in Rio's head. She tapped her hand on the table twice and straightened up in her seat. "Do you want to come work for me? The rest of my security are all male but nobody will have a problem with you."

Rio heard Qhuinn's hiss of surprise but she didn't drop her gaze from Alex. This test wasn't over yet, despite how it appeared, and Rio knew it.

"Are you sure you want to offer that?" she asked softly, her challenge clear.

"Yeah. My team is tight. I wouldn't offer if I wasn't sure," Alex said.

Her expectation was that Rio would come in needing no proving time before being accepted as an equal member of the team. And her reassurance that everyone would accept her without that proof up front was clear in her tone. It was in Rio's court now.

Rio nodded once and leaned forward on the table, her hand outstretched. Alex reached out and as the two women clasped palms the three men sagged in their seats in disbelief.

"Holy shit, Rio, am I hearing this right?" Qhuinn blurted out. "Did you just get hired as part of the security here?"

"Apparently, that does seem to be the situation," she said dryly.

"I know you said you weren't looking for anything but a faster entry time tonight," Qhuinn's eyes sparkled at her, "but this calls for some serious celebrating."

He wrapped his heavy arms around her and dragged her across his lap. Before she could protest he bent his head, his mouth covering hers. He kissed her hard, deep, his tongue finding its way into her heat despite her shock. When he released her a moment later, she smacked him hard across the back of his head.

"Drop me, kid, or we're gonna visit the alley out back and only one of us is coming back in."

Qhuinn growled at her in mock warning and bent his head to nip at her neck. Rio squealed and smacked him again as she slid off his lap.

"Watch who you're calling _kid_ , woman." He let the hoarse growl roll off his tongue, his eyes sparking with laughter. "I'll bet you've never been around someone like me before."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," she laughed, "but the _kid_ still stands. I'm pretty sure I was babysitting somebody somewhere the day you decided to check in."

Blaylock choked on his beer and John leaned across the table to give Qhuinn another solid knock on the shoulder. Alex stood up, fighting a smile. She tapped her knuckles on the table and pointed at Rio.

"I'll give you tomorrow to get things together. Be here at seven pm Saturday. I'll walk you through some shit, get you ready for an eight to four shift."

Rio nodded. "Thanks, Alex."

The security head looked around the table then back to Rio. "I guess since you'll be working here you'd better call me Xhex. That's what I go by."

"Just for the select few, right?" Rio's chuckle rolled out, low and sleek.

Xhex lifted her hand before drifting off into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

The silence at the table drew out and finally Rio shifted and rapped her knuckles on the table top.

"Alright, boys. If your mouths are open, close them. If you're staring at me, stop. If you're not breathing, start. This is not show and tell and I'm not a science exhibit. Somebody talk."

"Holy shit, Rio," Blaylock spoke softly, awed.

"Exactly," Qhuinn snapped, excitement sharpening his voice. "What the hell happened while I was gone?"

"You didn't miss much," Rio told him. "You were here for the important part."

"Bullshit! I missed something," he growled.

John lifted his hands. _Xhex came over to talk to Rio about the fight._

Blaylock nodded. "She asked if Rio could do that all the time." He trailed off at the memory of what came after that.

He looked at her quickly and Qhuinn immediately grabbed at the shift.

"What?" he demanded. "What happened?"

Blaylock shot a glance at John before turning back to Rio.

"Come on!" Qhuinn pushed. "What the hell happened?"

Rio took a deep pull from her glass before responding, her eyes on the table.

"You might as well tell him now. You know you will as soon as you're alone anyway."

Blaylock looked at John, who raised his hands to Qhuinn.

_Rio killed a guy._

Qhuinn's head snapped around and his eyes bored into her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he breathed.

When she didn't respond, Blaylock continued. "When Xhex asked about the fight, Rio told her the last time she'd faced it the guys were sober and armed. She said the family still takes flowers to him every week."

"Rio?" Qhuinn shot the question at her, his voice low, demanding an answer.

She'd never talked about this to anyone before, other than the police, and she couldn't believe how strong her need was to open her mouth now. Especially since the three men waiting to hear it were barely beyond being strangers. The strength of that pull inside, of the need to share this with them, made no sense to her and yet it felt right.

"It was a couple of years ago. I wasn't living here yet. I was in a small town further west. It was summer and a neighbor girl had just gotten a new ten speed for her birthday. She was dying to give it a workout but she didn't want to go alone and both her parents were working. I was off for a few days so I told her I'd go with her. She wanted to hit the country roads outside of town so she called her mom who said there was no problem if she was with me.

"We were about four miles out when she picked up a nail. The tire went flat as a board. We started back, just talking, pushing our bikes. We'd only covered about a mile when the truck pulled up beside us."

Her voice was low, barely above a whisper, with no discernible inflection in the words strung together. But despite the cacophony of sounds bleeding into every available space around them, the encroaching horror building in the softly spoken story was a scream. Rio realized that Xhex was standing in the shadows just behind them, close enough to hear the verbal equivalent of her self-evisceration.

"There were two guys in it. Probably in their late twenties, early thirties. Jenna was only fourteen but I knew it was going to be bad when I saw them looking at her. They offered us a ride but I told them we were good. They insisted we take the ride and one guy got out and threw her bike in the truck box. The other guy was crowding me, brushing his hands against me, whispering vulgarities in my ear. I knew there was only one way to get Jenna out of there safely. I offered myself if they let her go. To let her get on my bike and ride away.

"They jumped on the offer. I watched her leave. She'd only gotten a few hundred yards down the road before the first one dragged me to the back of the truck and ripped off my jeans. When he finished, the second one climbed on. He was almost finished when I heard the first one say he was going after Jenna. He jumped in the truck and I started fighting the guy on top of me. He pulled a gun and stuck it to my temple. When the truck started moving, I lost control. I knew if I didn't stop them, they'd both rape Jenna when they caught her. There was no way she'd made it back to town yet.

"I had longer nails back then and I reached up and drove them into that bastard's eyes. He started shrieking and made a grab for his face. I shoved him off me and he fell off the truck. He dropped his gun when he went over and I grabbed for it but it went off the tailgate when we hit a bump. I turned and caught the side of the box and prayed I could keep my balance then kicked out the back window. I reached in and grabbed that other prick by the hair and pulled with everything I had. When his head came back, I started hammering on him. When he finally couldn't control the truck anymore he slammed on the brakes and dragged me right through the window and out the door.

"He reached for his back pocket and I knew he was going for a gun. I grabbed his nuts and twisted like there was no stopping point. He went down and I started kicking the hell out of him. He kept grabbing for me and I just kept kicking. I drove my boot heel into him so many places so hard I heard bones breaking all over. His gun had worked its way out of his pocket while he was thrashing around and he tried to grab for it. I got it first but somehow he got me turned and got his arm around my neck. When I started blacking out I just reached up behind me, socked that barrel tight against his head and pulled the trigger.

"The other guy had dragged himself up and I saw him coming down the road after us. I crawled in behind the wheel of the truck and was gone. I caught up to Jenna just outside of town and after I dropped her safe at home I dumped the truck clear across town. I never saw the other guy again."

The silence around the table screamed and even with the club in full party mode, she was sure if someone would have dropped a pin in front of them they'd have all heard it. She drained her glass and set it down with a little clink.

"So I guess that means I know how to handle a gun, too," she finished flatly.

She pushed on Blaylock and waited while he and Qhuinn slid out of the booth. Each man caught one of her arms. She knew they were trying to offer her comfort but supported between the two like that she felt like she was back at that truck. There was a shifting in the shadows behind their booth and Rio snapped her head in that direction. The glow in her eyes was clearly a _back-the-fuck-off_ and the shifting stopped. Turning her head, she stared straight ahead and drew in a deep breath. Then she opened her clenched hands, spreading her fingers wide and waited. The boys reluctantly let go of her and without a word she walked away and down the hall to the bathrooms.

The water was ice cold as Rio thrust her hands into the stream and her breath caught in her throat as she splashed it up over her face.

"Ah, to hell with this," she grumbled and jammed the plug into the sink.

When the basin was full she cranked off the tap and holding her hair back with one hand, she plunged her face into the water. Instantly her body seized, holding her rigid for seconds that lasted for days. She lifted her head and gasped, sucking in a huge breath. Again, she plunged her face into the ice water. As her skin numbed out, she caught herself thinking about that gun. Felt her hand itching and wished she had it again. Just for a while.

Her face was still in the water when she heard the door open. The rattling told her someone was pulling paper towel from the dispenser and when she raised her head, the towels were in front of her face.

She took them as she turned and propping herself against the counter she blotted herself dry then looked up. Xhex's gunmetal gray eyes locked on hers like a magnet. Rio held her stare for several long minutes then threw her head back with a sigh.

"Fuck, there's nothing like being frozen out in a sink full of ice water," she muttered as she shook back her hair.

She ran her fingers through the long curls, shaking out the tangles, and waited for Xhex to speak. The silence grew, spreading through the room like smoke. Rio pushed herself away from the counter and started pacing. She ran her fingers along the counter top, skimming over each of the copper basins. She reached the end of the counter and stopped. Faced the wall. Sucked in a deep breath of that smoky silence. Turned and started back up the aisle, skimming her fingers across each stall door. Halfway up she stopped.

Xhex still leaned against the bathroom door, those gunmetal gray eyes still locked on her. In a quick surge, Rio felt heat blast through her, searing every nerve ending, swimming through her eyes till they spilled over, effectively closing down her vision. She stepped into the stall beside her, slamming the door back against the wall. Her fist shot straight out from her shoulder. She hammered that door over and over, the metal changing from small dips to a concave basin the size of a volleyball. The instant sting from the first punches turned into sharp spears of pain shooting deep through her bones and still she kept pounding that door.

Finally, when the front panel of the door was flat against the back panel and the metal refused to give any further, she straightened with a hoarse roar. It rolled up from deep in her belly and barreled out through her chest. The echo bounced around the room like the dying thunder of a passing storm.

Rio left the stall slowly and walked to the sink, still full up. She thrust her ruined hand into the freezing water, sucking her breath in with a sharp hiss. Xhex held up the fresh paper towels and when Rio hit the knob to drain the water, she stepped away from the door. Rio took the towels in silence and awkwardly reached across her body to dig in her front right pocket. She pulled out a hundred dollar bill and snapped it up in front of Xhex who took it and followed Rio out of the bathroom, still in silence.

Nobody commented on her raw, swollen knuckles but sometime after she had sucked back a couple of more drinks, Blaylock reached out and captured her hand. Bringing it up to his mouth he gently brushed his lips over it, his warm eyes holding hers.

Qhuinn kept fishing out ice cubes from her drinks, sliding them over her knuckles. When John protested, Qhuinn flashed that boyish sparkle and insisted the alcohol would help prevent any infection and the ice would take down the swelling.

Rio eased back in her seat with a sigh and thought about how good it felt to spend time with someone again. She looked around at the three gorgeous young men sitting with her then let her eyes roam over the club and realized that in two days she would be an employee.

"So tell me, boys, what do you all do for a living? It occurs to me that you've all learned an incredible amount about me in a very short time and the only thing I know about any of you is you're all gorgeous and very kind, compassionate and, I think, extremely loyal."

She laughed at the cocky grin that spread over Qhuinn's face and the blush made her want to wrap Blaylock tight in her arms. John's face tightened up, though, and the flicker of pain that crossed his eyes briefly peaked her interest. He looked up and caught her gaze. With a quick glance around the table, he raised his hands.

_We're military students. We're in training._

"Really." She nodded, her tone curiously flat.

Her eyes touched on each one of the men. She noted the slight tightening in each of them. So that's how it was. Well, everyone was entitled to their secrets and who was she to push it.

"Well, you know, it doesn't surprise me. I mean, look at you all. You're _huge!_ What else would you be?"

She sat back while the tension drained from them as they all laughed and thought she'd give a lot to know what they really were into.

When they finally called it a night the boys insisted on taking Rio home. She couldn't talk them out of it so she finally gave in with a minimum of grace. They were shocked to realize that she walked to and from the club all the time and she broke out laughing at the identical disapproving scowls they turned on her.

"Come on, Rio," Blaylock argued. "It's not safe out here at nights, especially for a woman."

"This isn't Manhattan, boys," Rio pointed out, tucking her arms through Blaylock's on one side and Qhuinn's on the other.

"Maybe not," Qhuinn said, his tone turning serious. "But we're close enough to get their spillover. And Caldwell has its own crazies."

By this time they were at her apartment and she leaned back against her door. Her eyes touched on each of them. She took a quick look around to make sure nobody was close and dropped her voice.

"I'm going to be working security at one of the busiest clubs in town, with enough shit going on inside those walls to make the entire Caldwell police force crazy and you're worried about me walking at night."

She watched them exchange glances and again wondered what all their buried secrets said.

"Thank you for worrying but I'm fine, boys. And since I have no vehicle and it costs too much for a cab twice a day, I don't have a lot of choices. You know, if I were Xhex we wouldn't be having this conversation, right?"

She burst out laughing at the expressions of horror on their faces. Reaching out, she gave each one a hug before turning them around.

"Go home, or wherever you go when you leave the club. I'm here, I'm safe and I'm fine."

They refused to move until she had closed herself into the apartment and they heard the click of the lock. She flipped back the curtain beside the door and watched them walk away. Broad shoulders rolled, powerful thighs pushed them forward, heavy, muscular arms swung loosely by their sides. Rio felt a quiver ripple through her stomach as she watched pure, male power walk away from her till it was lost in the drifting shadows at the end of her street.


	4. Chapter 4

She hung her leather jacket in the small closet then dragged herself to the bathroom. Though she went to the club often, she didn't usually stay this late and the night was crashing in on her now. The drinks were swimming around in her head and as she walked into the bathroom she stumbled and bounced off the door. She made a grab for the sink but missed and face-planted into the wall. She stopped moving immediately and stretched her hands out in front of her, propping herself up.

"Well, fuck, I hate sloppy drunks," she grumbled, pissed at her lack of control. "And after that nice compliment from Xhex about how I don't get sloppy. Fuck!"

She slapped her hands hard against the wall then shoved herself upright. She tore her clothes off and cranked on the shower. Without waiting for the water to heat all the way, she climbed into the tub.

"Fuck!" she yelled as the water hit her. "That's cold."

She yanked the curtain closed, grabbed her shampoo and poured the thick liquid on her hair. But when she bent her fingers to massage her scalp, pain shot through the right one and her hand wouldn't close all the way.

"Well, bloody hell, isn't this just a party you can't wait for," she growled in frustration.

Determined not to let anything else get the better of her tonight, she dug the fingers of her left hand into her scalp. She had thick hair and long, past her shoulders, and it was a bitch to clean it well with only one hand. But Rio was nothing if not stubborn and she tunneled and massaged and ran the long strands through her good hand until she was satisfied. The water was hot by this time and she stood under the spray while the suds raced their way down to the drain. When most of the shampoo had rinsed away she massaged out the rest then poured body wash on a loofah sponge and scrubbed herself hard.

A tangy ocean scent filled the air as the body wash foamed thickly and the rough sponge felt good on her skin. As it slicked over her, she felt like she was being buffed to a shine, her skin tingly and awake. Rio shut off the water and wrapped herself in a fluffy bath sheet. Grabbing a smaller towel, she rubbed her head vigorously for several minutes then squeezed the length, absorbing any remaining water.

As she went into the kitchen, her fatigue caught up to her, slowing her down. She poured a small glass of milk and then went to pull out the futon. Except for the vicious memory that had been dredged up, the night had been good. She was used to being in the club alone but the boys had brought her a sense of fun and companionship she hadn't felt in a long time. Yet even after the pleasure of the evening the hole was still there. And the ache still squeezed tight in her chest. Whatever she was looking for still wasn't here yet.

Rio popped her eyes open and tried to focus on the clock. Two pm. Not bad considering how last night had lasted forever. She rolled over and stretched, then kicked back the burgundy and cream comforter. As cool air hit her overheated body, she shivered lightly then closed her eyes again and thought about her first night as a member of ZeroSum's security team.

She'd showed up at seven and the first thing Xhex had done was take her on a tour of the club. Except they hit all the places not open to the general clientele. She got the codes to access the behind the scene spaces, did a run-through of the security monitoring station, got the _hi-how-are-ya's_ from the guy on shift as well as the girls in the staff room. Xhex assigned her a locker then took her out to meet the rest of the staff.

Girls on the floor, bartenders, the rest of the bouncers marched by like a parade. Rio focused on each face and made sure she shook each hand. It was a way to connect, to get a feel for how each relationship might play out, and she held down her smile at the jolt that lit several of the males over her grip.

Rio had no use for nancy-weak handshakes. If it scared you to get gripped, then don't stick your hand out. That didn't mean she was a bone-crusher. She had an instinct for how each handshake would go down and within the first second of taking hold of someone's hand she knew how hard to squeeze. For example, women, for the most part, didn't shake hard. Most didn't even shake all that firmly, which was why she disliked shaking hands with women. But some surprised you and with those Rio tempered her hold. But if a man thought he was going to intimidate her with a power grip, he was in for his own surprise.

Xhex had then led her through the VIP section and introduced her to Trez and iAm, the two huge Moors who served as the club owner's bodyguards, among other things. No handshaking here but the direct looks and single nods of acknowledgment told Rio all she needed to know about her reception. With two short knocks on the door at the Moors' backs, Xhex led the way into the Reverend's office.

Rio shifted on the bed as a flush ran through her and she smiled at the memory of that huge male behind the desk. When it came to men's fashions she couldn't have told you the difference between one designer or another, not even their names. But she did know that the dove gray double breasted he was wearing was a masterpiece. A work of art. Just like the male wearing it. And the black shirt matched with a muted figured black tie had to be silk because nothing else had a sheen like that.

As for the work of art wearing all that elegance... _shit!_ He was massive. He'd been on his feet once while she was in there with him and he was a jacked six foot six if he was an inch. That beautiful suit hugged massive shoulders, caressed a thick, powerful chest and slimmed down to wrap around lean hips like a lover. Rising above the beautifully knotted tie was a thick neck, the skin golden and smooth. He had a short, precisely trimmed mohawk that begged to be touched and when Rio looked into the amethyst eyes burning out of that hard, very masculine face her breath was gone.

He'd welcomed her to the club and expressed his approval of the way she handled herself. He'd apparently reviewed the tape of her run in with the drunk on Thursday night.

"Were you armed?" he'd asked.

"Yeah, always," she'd responded, her tone neutral.

"Well, I'm impressed that you handled him that well without drawing anything. What do you carry, by the way?"

She had pulled out her blade, passing it across handle first when he'd held out his hand. He ran his hands over the weapon, turning it so the light lit off it like liquid silver.

"Nice steel," his voice was like a rush of warm water. "Unusual. Mind telling me where you got it?"

Her stomach clenched, the instinct to redirect that spear of inquiry riding her hard. But he had a lot going on here and it was totally understandable that he'd want to protect it any way he could. And it was only logical, and reasonable, to expect loyalty from his employees.

She cleared her throat and it was obvious that she had to push the answer out. "Souvenir. Reminder of times gone by."

"And of personal strength," he'd added softly, a knowing edge to his voice. "And beating the odds."

She had flicked a fast glance at Xhex then pegged the Rev with ice cold, flat eyes.

"I don't consciously subscribe to that particular standard of success. It's too unreliable. And up here," she tapped her temple, "where it counts for me, if I go in looking at odds, I've already lost."

Rio shifted again as an odd prickling swept the length of her body as she remembered the way the Reverend's gorgeous amethyst eyes had flashed hot at her response. It was almost as if he'd never thought about it that way before but after hearing her put the idea into words, it made perfect sense to him.

"Alright, enough reminiscing," she grumbled as she rolled out of bed. "I most definitely do not need to be remembering those eyes all day."

She headed for the bathroom and twisted on the shower. But despite her determination to push the memories of last night from her head she found herself still drifting through the first feeling of being grounded she'd had in a long time. As she shampooed and loofahed, she relived her first shift.

Xhex had been right about the team accepting her at face value. The guys had deferred to her when anything started with her and accepted her backup when it was their beef. If movement and visibility were needed, she moved and was seen. If disappearing into the shadows and being still was called for, Rio became nothing. Eyes in the dark.

She had an instinct about trouble building before it was apparent and Xhex often saw her fading into the background, watching a table that appeared to be enjoying their night just like the rest of the cattle. Drinks, laughter, flirting, they looked like everyone else around them. Until anger flared like the head of a match; the sting of a sulfur flash, sharp and bitter. Before hands could do more than a quick lash out, before a pair of chairs could do more than get kicked backward to hit the floor with a sharp crash, Rio was there. Separating, blocking, preventing a flash fire. And if the flash burned out of control, she kept pace with the blaze. She took down the one who was the most trouble and kept the others back with a fast punch or a swift kick. While she left those for her backup, she focused on the trigger and if she projected faces or feelings of vengeance on any of these, nobody ever said anything to her about it. They just backed her up and helped her take out the trash.

ZeroSum was closed on Sunday, something Rio was grateful for since she was still too wired. And not necessarily in a good way, if she was being honest with herself. Hyper vigilance was a good thing when you worked a place like ZeroSum but in this case, it was first night jitters. It just meant the unfamiliarity of the situation, the need to keep her adrenaline level on a hair trigger yet under control and a few of those projections from the past weren't allowing her to come back down to earth. And that wasn't a good way to go into the same arena the next day. She needed a break between these first working days, a chance to step back and let go of the energy surge that had her hands vibrating and her body twitching as the fine tremor rolled through her.

She dressed in jeans and a tight black t-shirt and reached for her dagger holster. Snapping it around her waist, she slid the blade into it and pulled her shirt over it. Leaning against the kitchen counter she ate a couple of bananas, shuffling one foot over the pattern on the floor, her mind drifting. When she was finished she headed to the door.

She'd killed about two hours since she woke up and the sun was on the west side of town as she stepped out onto the street. She wasn't going anywhere in particular so her choice of direction was unimportant. Just somewhere to walk. Her eyes scanned the brownstones parading down the street, their lines old world elegance, the large oaks lining the sidewalks throwing shade all over the place. The neighborhood noises were typical Sunday sounds: kids screaming and laughing at play, the low purr of cars taking their prescribed Sunday drives, the occasional bark of dogs.

The neighborhoods changed as the hours rolled by, the brownstones changing into houses, which changed from old world to just old. They went from being packed tightly together to drifting away from each other, the spaces getting wider and a little more back to nature. Just a fancy way of saying scruffy and weedy. Not much urban planning happening here.

Rio knew she was getting closer to the river by the smell but she loved the peace of the area so she kept walking. Despite the stink of dead fish that drifted by on the breeze and the occasional unidentified odor that was most definitely not fish, Rio came here often. She liked to sit on the bank and watch the water roll slowly by. Some days she imagined past shit drifting by under that dark oily sheen. On those days she wished it was a .40 at the small of her back instead of a dagger. Drifting along in that water just wasn't enough for her at those times and some precision target practice sounded like a hell of an idea on the days when that twist in her chest got cranked too hard. Getting to her feet, she realized Xhex might be just the right personal catalogue for her to consult on that very idea. And if she couldn't offer the right inventory, the Reverend most definitely could.

Night had made its appearance by the time Rio got back to town. She headed for downtown before going home. Despite the closed doors and dark windows of most of the businesses worth seeing in the city hub, she had an affinity for those streets usually overflowing with life. She wouldn't be able to settle down for the night if she didn't take at least a quick tour through them.

The core of a city had its own beauty at night. Headlights pierced the shadows in quicksilver flows, lighting this corner in a flash, pulling the dark back in around the next one. Black rectangles rose overhead looming like giants hulking over smaller creatures scurrying around while even blacker spaces pooled at their feet, hiding their secrets in every twist and turn.

Rio was back on Trade Street only a few blocks from work when a noise caught her attention. It was a noise out of place mostly because it was the sound of the living in an area that, at this time of night on a Sunday, should have been dead. She followed the sound, hearing it grow louder the closer she got to the alley ahead.

Her skin tightened as she approached the lane, her instincts screaming at her, and she reached back to check her dagger. As she turned the corner she gave thanks for the full moon, which, thank you God, was shining right on the scene in front of her. Rio had decent enough night vision but with no street lights close by and no windows shining down this _back-door-hole-in-the-landscape,_ she wasn't able to make out enough to put those screaming nerves back to sleep.

About twenty yards down the alley were three men, their backs to her. They were big men, all of them. Two of them were hitting someone she couldn't see while the third, a Man from Glad lookalike with all that white hair, was shooting questions as fast as their fists. Rio eased her way down the alley hoping to get as close as she could before anyone saw her. Thank god she was downwind but when the light breeze did puff toward her she screwed up her nose and held her breath at the stench of baby powder. A little went a long way with her and this was definitely a tanker full.

Rio had made it to the dumpster about ten feet from the group and at the next flurry of fists and the flash of a blade she heard the unseen man cry out, his pain sharp and deep. The breeze picked that moment to shift and as the trio caught her scent they turned.

So much for the element of surprise, she thought and took a step forward and to her left.

"Hey, boys, looks like you've got quite the party going on. And it just so happens I'm looking for some fun. Can I join in or is it only by invitation?"

"Get out of here," the talker snapped out. "This is none of your business."

Rio kept moving slowly left, each step taking her a little closer to the man bleeding out against the dead end wall of the alley. She kept her arms a few inches out from her sides, hoping to keep the trio calm by the sight of her empty hands. At least until she could get closer to their victim.

"What, no party?" she crooned, her eyes sharp. "I mean, come on, fellas, by all that pale skin you obviously don't party much in daylight so I'm thinking you don't get to see many bikinis. And since I'm in the mood to party, I am willing to get naked right here and remedy that situation for you. What d'ya say? How about I stay and you send this guy home. He doesn't look like he's having a whole lot of fun here."

It was obvious by the expressions on the two dark haired guys they didn't know what the fuck to do with her but Whitey squeezed his eyes down and got ready to jump. Rio shot a quick look at the guy they'd been using as a punching bag and gasped lightly. The guy had his mouth open wide, his breath sawing in and out like a long distance runner, and the sharp canines were clearly visible.

 _Alriiiight, then._ No time to dig deeper into this revelation. Whitey was making his move. She had one shot to get this right or this party was going to turn ugly fast.


	5. Chapter 5

Rio reached behind her and in a swift move pulled her blade free and threw herself at the guy now charging her. She threw herself low, at his legs, and stretched out to hit both of them at the same time. He went down over her rolling body hard. Rio snapped out of her roll and swung the dagger low and wide. She meant to take out the tendons across the backs of both his thighs but Whitey was clearly a fighter. He'd barely hit the ground when he pulled his legs close trying to roll out of her range. Rio only managed one slice across the back of a calf but she grinned as she saw the blade go deep.

Alright, another revelation to ponder at a later date. Whitey bled black. _'What the hell?'_ she thought as she pushed herself upright. By now, the other guys had figured out they'd better get into this party and both were coming at her fast. One had pulled a Glock and as he pushed his gun hand forward Rio flipped her dagger over. She caught it by the handle and her hand flashed out and down. Her attacker screamed as she drove the blade into his forearm. At the same time she stepped to the side, her back to him, and drove her elbow up into his nose. She yanked her blade free as he went down and she kicked the gun hard, sending it skittering across the asphalt.

The second man was almost on her when she looked up. She had no time to move and on instinct she brought her dagger up, thrusting out hard. She felt a momentary resistance as the blade hit his chest then it slid in to the hilt. His scream was cut off by a pop and in a huge flash of light, he winked out of existence like a soap bubble.

Rio didn't know what should be more upsetting - that all this Wizard of Oz shit was happening or that it wasn't freaking her out more. And what normal person would even look at the issue as an either/or question?

The first guy was still howling on the ground, cradling his arm to his body like a bad actor. Whitey was dragging himself to his feet. Rio shot a quick look at the guy with the serious dental hardware and grabbed his arm.

"Listen, buddy, if you've got some fancy way to get your ass out of here, now would be a good time to use it, get my drift? This is about to go south fast and it's gonna be bad. You hear me?"

The shock at her intervention was clear on his face but as her words sank in he closed his eyes, took two deep breaths and disappeared. Rio shook her head and turned to Whitey.

"I gotta learn how to do that," she muttered. "If I get out of here in one piece."

He took a step and his leg gave out. He lunged for her as he started going down and Rio drove her blade into his side. With a roar, he threw an arm around her neck. She yanked her blade free and sank it into his back. They went down to the pavement together, with him choking the air out of her. He rolled her onto her back and pinned her hard, his knees crushing into her thighs as he hammered her rib cage. When Rio lost count of how many times he'd hit her, she let go of her knife and grabbed for his balls. She dug her fingers in, twisting and squeezing so hard her knuckles cracked. As he shrieked she lifted her head, sank her teeth into his neck and bit down hard.

She nearly gagged at the vile taste that shot into her mouth but she forced it back and held on. As he tried rolling away from her she pushed herself up to her knees, ripping a chunk of flesh from his throat then spit hard to clear her mouth.

"Fucking hell, that's disgusting!" she roared and drove her fist into his temple.

She hammered into him again and again, realizing his buddy had finally decided to quit whining about his arm. As he lurched to his feet, Rio saw four other men running down the alley toward them.

"Goddamn it, now what?" she yelled, still driving her fist into the man under her.

After the pounding she'd given the bathroom stall door at the club Thursday night, her right hand was so not appreciating this new assault on it. She felt the instant swelling then the skin split wide. The throb pounded through her bones like a heartbeat. Blood, black and red, covered not just her torn hand but ran down her face and chest. The foul taste coated her tongue and throat and Rio spit again.

She was vaguely aware that one of the men who had joined the fight had grabbed the second assailant before he could get to her. Four more appeared at the opening to the ally. But judging by their moves, they were not coming in on the hero side of this battle and it appeared that these were the guys who knew what the hell they were doing. They all had white hair, just like the guy Rio had under her, and if the reek of baby powder and rotten fish had been a weapon, everybody in that alley would be dead.

Brownie went up in a pop and a flash, which just left the pros. The Man from Glad picked that moment to decide he'd had enough and he grabbed Rio by the hair and yanked her off him. He slammed her down like an old rug and as her breath exploded from her, she knew she wasn't likely coming out of this alley tonight but as long as he didn't pull out a weapon he'd have to work hard to put her down. Rio didn't start life as a scrapper but she'd turned herself into one and this ass wipe was going to have to earn his triumph.

The sounds of the battle going on around them turned hollow, like a far off echo, as Whitey drove his fist into her head twice. It came down like a fucking hammer and she went numb instantly. That wouldn't last long though and she sunk her thumb into the hole she'd torn in his neck. She dug and twisted, a satisfied surge of heat flooding through her at his scream of pain.

"Get the fuck off me, you piece of shit cocksucker!" she yelled, reaching for his eyes.

She pushed her thumbs into his sockets and digging her heels into the pavement she bucked up, trying to dislodge him. He grabbed her hair and cracked her head against the ground again. Her arms dropped wide as the bolt of pain ripped through her skull.

 _'Oh, fuck, here it comes,'_ she thought as he pulled a .40 from his pocket and shoved it against her forehead.

Before the trigger was pulled someone came up behind him and as his weight was yanked off her, Rio saw a face more terrifying than any she'd ever seen before. Hair skull trim short, a scar slashing across the middle of his face and black eyes as ice cold as death, her unlikely savior grabbed Whitey's head and wrenched. The crack of a broken neck rang out loud and yet as the body was thrown several feet from him, the huge scarred fighter went after him like the guy was still alive. Ok, something else to worry about later.

Rio fought the pain drilling through her skull and forced her body to move. She managed to roll onto her stomach then taking a deep breath pushed herself to her knees. Her head starting spinning and the nausea rolled in like a tidal wave.

"Oh, fuck…" she groaned and planted her fists on the asphalt.

Her stomach clenched and rolled then everything came up. The vile black blood she'd swallowed roared up her throat like a freight train and burned like acid. It smelled as bad coming up as it had going down and that thought had Rio retching hard again. When the spasms finally quieted down, she backed away from the mess. She found herself next to the dumpster and pulled herself to her feet. The scene in front of her was like something out of the latest fantasy flick.

The scarred warrior who had just saved her ass was fighting beside a guy who looked amazingly like him – except he had no scar… and he had gorgeous, multicolored hair down past his shoulders. There was a huge guy with black hair and a goatee, a black driving glove on his left hand only and - were those tattoos on his left temple? He's just finished letting out a large quantity of that disgusting black blood from the guy he was currently slicing and dicing and his black leathers tightened and flexed around a pair of muscled thighs the size of oak trees.

When Rio looked at the fourth fighter every molecule of air in her body was sucked out, leaving her lungs heaving in a vacuum. This blonde god had to stand six foot eight at least and weigh in a 285 lbs. Rio was positive that if she'd bet he was the most visually stunning male on the planet there was no way she could lose. His masculine beauty left her aching inside. He had to have fallen from the stars. Nobody on earth could be that breathtaking. His full length black leather coat flared out around him, his fists and feet just blurs as he tore apart the piece of shit in front of him.

Rio tore her eyes away from the scene, looking for her dagger. It was on the ground just past the dumpster and she staggered over to scoop it up. There was black, oily sludge coating the blade and she wiped it off on her pant leg before sliding it back into the sheath at her back.

 _Pop!_ Flash. She caught the tail end of another vanishing, this one done by the dark dream with the tattoos. Instantly he turned to her and her heart skipped a beat as he started toward her. Despite the fact that the bad vibes turning her stomach over didn't extend to him and his buddies, she still had the feeling that hanging around was a bad idea. After all, they appeared to be connected in some way to the guy she'd saved. Let's face it, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? These guys were ripping through the ones who'd tried to kill the guy with the fangs. It stood to reason they were on his side but she still hadn't had the chance to work out her place in a world that had guys with that much calcium in their smile. And she so didn't want to find out surrounded by Gargantua and his crew over there.

Her eyes shot around the cage she found herself in. How the hell was she going to get past all that muscle to get the fuck out of this alley? Before the dark dream got more than three or four steps in her direction there was a shift in the power balance behind him. While he got pulled back into the battle, Rio spotted a fire escape ladder in the dead end corner of the alley. She shook off the pain pounding through her and took a running leap for the bottom rung praying to God she didn't miss. She didn't and once on the ladder she shot a glance over her shoulder as someone yelled at her.

One of the white knights was making a break for it down the alley out to Trade Street and the other three were keeping the Dream Team busy. Rio saw the frustration on the dark dream's face as he swung his blade at his opponent, trying to break loose enough to come after her. She scrambled to the top of the building and with a last look at the battle she disappeared.

Rio groaned as she limped up her walkway. She stumbled over an uneven flagstone, barely catching herself from slamming into her front door.

"Shit and hellfire," she muttered, coughing against the burning in her raw throat. She shoved the door out of her way tripping again, this time on the door sill. "Christ in a cartoon! Get the fuck out of my way!" she snarled, slamming the door shut and ripping off her jacket.

She threw it down on the armchair and in a fit of fury fired her keys through the kitchen door. She heard the harsh metallic jangle as they hit the counter then the unmistakable crash of something breaking.

"Fabulous. What next?"

What next turned out to be the discovery of her torn back pocket. The pocket she carried her ID in. The ID with her address on it.

On the heels of this discovery she heard a soft scraping sound at her front door. Without pausing, she hit the light switch and plunged the room into darkness. There was no way to check who was at the door without being seen since the landlord hadn't installed her peephole yet. She watched the knob turn fractionally but she always threw the lock so whoever was out there wasn't getting in this way.

Her dresser was in the small storage room at the back of the kitchen and she scooped up her jacket as she made her way soundlessly through the dark rooms. Grabbing a backpack, she stuffed in a couple of changes of clothes and her stash of cash, wishing again for that loaded .40.

Her small bathroom overlooked the alley and after a quick peek showed her it was still empty, she pushed open the window and dropped out onto the ground. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible she took the long leg of the alley to the next street, figuring that way she'd come out farther away from whoever was at her door.

Fifteen minutes later Rio was calling for a cab from a pay phone beside a darkened Chinese take-out place. There was a small rundown motel around the corner but it was too close to home for her comfort zone. If her mystery caller figured out she was gone he might assume that in her panic to get off the street she'd head to the closest available place. So naturally, she was going for the farthest available place.

Rio scanned the street carefully before climbing out of the cab Monday night. Her shift was starting in half an hour and she figured that would give her enough time to get a coffee and try to get her head into the right space. She kept telling herself there was no way those white haired smelly freaks would be sliding unnoticed into the club. So if she could just get through the first hour or so and prove that to herself she'd be set.

She wound her way through spaces already packed with bodies on various planes of consciousness, as well as various stages of undress. She was starting to hope she'd make it to the staff room unscathed when she nearly ran into Trez.

"Hey, how's it going so far?" she tossed off casually.

There was no fooling that mountain of muscle though. He ran a look over her quickly and his eyebrows rose. Without a word he stepped to one side to let her pass. This was not going unreported, she thought as her stomach sank to somewhere around her knees. She sighed in relief to discover the staff room empty and she tossed her jacket and backpack into her locker. She grabbed a coffee in the kitchen area, swallowing her first mouthful fast when she heard the door open behind her.

"Look at me," Xhex rapped out with no preamble.


	6. Chapter 6

Rio set her cup down and leaned into the counter. Xhex came up behind her and grabbing her arm, spun her around. She pushed Rio's chin up, turning her head to one side to look at her bruised throat then grabbed her hands. The scabs were barely dry on the knuckles and the swelling still hadn't gone completely down.

"You look like shit. What the fuck happened?"

"You know, I would've thought, when I moved here, that Sundays in Caldwell would be nice quiet, peaceful days," she said, her voice as light and casual as if she were discussing the weather. "Huh."

"Rio! Quit jerking me. Trez said you barely made it up the steps into the lounge."

"Oh, now that's a serious exaggeration," she protested hotly.

Xhex reached out and grabbed Rio's thigh. Rio let out a sharp hiss and her leg buckled. She grabbed the counter and shifted her weight to catch her balance.

"Not so much, it seems," Xhex pointed out. "And you're not much good to me in this condition."

"Don't, Xhex." Rio shook her head slowly, her eyes locked on her boss's. "Don't back me into a corner on this. It doesn't matter how bad I look tonight, I can do my job and you know it. This means something to me and that hasn't happened to me often. And that means I won't let you down."

Xhex faced Rio, her arms crossed, and held her gaze for several long minutes. "What happened?"

"I can't tell you. It's not my story."

"So you're protecting somebody," Xhex made it a statement. "What happens if this story follows you here?"

"I can guarantee part of that won't happen and there's very little left of the rest of it to make a difference."

"My job is to make sure none of it will happen, not just part of it," the security head snapped, her tone harsh.

"Xhex, trust me when I tell you there are too many fucking people around here for this to ever be a problem. The only danger in this is to me and only when I'm alone."

Xhex watched Rio, not speaking, her arms still crossed over her chest. Rio didn't look away, her face determined, her gaze straightforward, strong. Finally Xhex nodded once and walked out. Rio dropped her head, exhaling hard and fast. She reached down and absently rubbed her knotted thighs trying to loosen the battered muscles.

The night ran fairly smooth for a change. At least, it started out that way. Around ten o'clock there was a sudden stirring and Rio knew by the spike in the energy level around her that the Reverend had arrived. Nobody else sucked the air out of a room and raised heart rates the way that huge male did. Rio was just settling down a couple of guys when he appeared at the top of the stairs in the VIP section. He bowed his head slightly in her direction and she knew he was calling her to the office. That meant Xhex had talked to him already. Well, shit.

As soon as she was satisfied her table was good, she crossed the room and knocked on his door. The security head let her in, closing the door behind her and she waited for the Rev to speak.

"Xhex tells me you're a little worse for wear tonight. Lift your hair and put your head back."

"Boss, I'm good."

"Just do it," he repeated, his voice hardening.

Rio swept her hair up with her battered hand, hoping to keep at least that much from his scrutiny.

"Jesus, who did that to you?" he growled. "And let me see your hand."

"Shit, Xhex, you got a big mouth, you know," she grumbled as she stretched her arm out.

The Reverend cursed violently and slammed his fist onto his desk.

"This does not make me happy. My people don't get tossed like this without something being done to fix it. You're going to tell me who did this and I'm going to make sure it never happens again."

Despite the fury simmering just under the surface of his words Rio shook her head at him. "I know Xhex told you I'm not talking. This was about someone else so I'm not free to discuss it. Sorry, boss, but just leave it alone."

The Reverend let loose another string of curses that would've brought a blush to a longshoreman and Rio watched his magnificent amethyst eyes darken and blaze with heat.

"Xhex also says you've admitted there could be danger to you when you're alone. So what's going to happen to you when you leave tonight if I can't fix this?"

She shrugged. "I'm not at home. I went to a motel last night and it's clear across town."

"Goddamn it, Rio, this is bullshit! Tell me what the fuck happened?"

Before she could answer his cell rang.

"What!" he yelled then exhaled harshly. "Fine."

"We're not done with this." He pointed at her. "But your boys are here looking for you. Apparently they're a little agitated. Could this give me the answers I want, I wonder?"

She frowned, unease flickering across her face as she left the office. Xhex and the Rev were close behind her as she crossed the lounge. John spotted her first and waved to get the other two's attention. Blaylock slid off his seat and started toward her. Qhuinn, standing in front of their table, spun around and took off like a shot. In the next breath, Rio was caught up in a bear hug, which unfortunately set off a coughing jag as he squeezed her tender ribs. He set her on her feet and bent down to look at her when Blaylock pushed him back.

"What the hell, Qhuinn," he snapped then sucked in a sharp breath when he saw her face. " Jesus Christ, Rio, what the hell happened? My god, John, look at her!"

John stepped in front of her and tipped her head back. While he ran his fingers gently over her neck Qhuinn caught her battered hand and growled.

"This isn't from the bathroom stall door," his voice went ice cold. "What the fuck happened?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." The Rev came up behind her. "Unfortunately, she's not talking. Maybe you'll have more luck getting it from her."

When John shifted slightly, Rio's eyes locked on their table and saw the three men sitting there in the shadows.

"God, this is not happening," she murmured and took a step back.

"It's her, V," the star-fallen blonde blurted out. "Damn, it's her!"

The dark dream slid out of the booth and before she could take another step backward he was on her.

"You're not running again. You're going to tell me what happened. And how you got away." His shock at finding her here was clear in his voice.

Suddenly Rio was surrounded by men. Huge men towering over her, crowding in on her, running hands over her injuries, reassuring themselves by touch that she was ok. She felt the sudden claustrophobia crushing down on her and her head started to spin. She shot out both hands, looking for bodies to push away, and ended up with Qhuinn's and John's chests under her palms.

"Enough," she cried out softly, not wanting to disturb the rest of the customers any more than necessary. "Everybody needs to step off a bit cos there's too damn much testosterone crowding me here."

The Reverend reached out and took her arm gently to draw her away. "I think we all need to step into my office, gentlemen. I have the distinct feeling I'm finally going to get to the bottom of this. Shall we?"

Moments later everyone crowded into the Rev's office and Rio let out a long breath as she sank into a chair.

"I know I'm on shift but I need a fucking drink," she said quietly.

"Excellent idea," the Rev said smoothly. "What's your poison?"

"Tonight? I don't care as long as it's wet, strong and straight."

The Reverend barked out a sharp laugh and splashed two fingers of Grey Goose vodka into a squat crystal glass. He slid it across in front of her and she upended the glass, emptying it in one swallow. He threw back his head and laughed again, the sound rolling through the room like thunder and poured her another.

"I think this one a little slower, ok. Can't have you passing out before we all get some answers."

Everyone sat quietly, all eyes on her. She could see them all chomping at the bit to start questioning her but nobody said a word. Just waiting.

"Crap," she sighed. "Let's take this in order." She looked at the boys. "Why were you so anxious to see me tonight?"

They exchanged a quick look between them before glancing at the three huge males covered in leather and looking edgy enough to bite through chains.

Qhuinn spoke first. "Remember we told you we were in military training?"

She snorted rudely. "Yeah, that's the story I got."

"Well, these are some of our… instructors."

"Oh, is that what they are," she muttered.

The dark dream frowned and his gaze sharpened like a razor.

"You sound like you don't believe that," he spoke in a soft slide, a hard dangerous caress.

"Sorry." She held his gaze, her eyes as direct as his. "Just thinking out loud. Didn't mean to interrupt. Please continue."

"We heard about some trouble downtown last night," Qhuinn spoke again, trying to sound nonchalant and not succeeding. "Our instructors said there was a pretty serious fight and that a woman was involved. Their description fit you and since you only live ten or twelve blocks away we got worried."

"Why would that make you think it was me?" she asked quietly.

"We know you like to walk at night," Blaylock answered holding her less damaged hand, his thumb sliding over her knuckles carefully.

"Rio, out with it," the Rev told her. "You've got a room full of witnesses and no way to deny any of it."

"Well, if we're gonna draw that kind of line I've got a room full of people who I think already know what's going on, you included all of a sudden."

She shot him a shrewd glance and watched his magnificent eyes flare again.

"What makes you say that?" he asked smoothly.

"Boss, I've spent my life being invisible and that's afforded me a lot of time to people watch. The minute you saw this crew," she swept her hand out indicating the three massive males as well as the boys, "and their expressions, you clicked in. You know this bunch. You know what they're about. They're not your run of the mill customers. Which means you probably know as much about what happened last night as they do, even without asking. But in case not everybody knows everything, I'm still not talking. I told you. It's not my story. So until I'm told different by someone I'll never see again, I got nothing to say."

He leaned back in his chair, his hard face not softened at all by the broad grin spreading over it. His eyes slid over each man in front of him and he shook his head as he looked back at her.

"She knows enough there's no point to this anymore. She's too strong to scrub and the danger to her means you shouldn't anyway. I don't see how you can't bring her in."

The silence dragged, feeling like days passing. Rio crossed her arms over her chest and looked at each man in turn. Finally she turned to John.

 _How long can they keep this going?_ she signed.

He shook his head and shrugged.

The huge blonde finally shook his head and spoke softly. "V, Wrath is gonna snap over this, man. He's just gonna go ballistic."

"What choice do we have? Besides, if she's covering for someone, he'll want to know."

He turned to her and she gasped when she got her first good look at him in any kind of light. His eyes glittered white, diamond bright, and were circled with a navy ring. The black, intricate tattoos on his temple were even more dramatic beside that stare.

"My god, how beautiful," she breathed.

Her comment clearly threw him off his stride. She watched him lose his focus and he frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your eyes. They're the stuff of dreams."

"You mean nightmares," he murmured, his tone harsh.

She laughed. "Maybe in your world but trust me in this. In mine, those are dream makers. Now, where were we?"

The Reverend's deep rich laugh rumbled through the room again and he shook his head at the continued distractions. "She's good. And none of us are ever getting out of here tonight if you don't get this moving."

At that the one everyone called V, her dark dream, slammed his palms down on the desk and leaned in close to Rio. He peeled his lips back from his teeth and bared a set of long, very white, very sharp fangs. She gasped in delight and laughed softly.

"Well, damn, look at that," she crooned. "There they are. Again." Her voice hardened on the last word and her laughter died away as she locked eyes with him.

"There was a civilian." He made it a statement. "Before we got there. You walked in on it."

She nodded once in assent before speaking. "So if he was a 'civilian', that makes you all… what? And don't say vampire. I already figured that part out myself."

She let her eyes roam around the room before turning back to V. He frowned at the Reverend's low chuckle, full of knowledge.

"The Black Dagger Brotherhood. We're warriors, bred to defend the race."

"Against who? I mean, obviously I've seen them but what are they?"

_"Lessers."_

Rio snorted inelegantly. "Catchy name. Where do they come from?"

"They're part of the Lessening Society. They're humans who've given up their souls to become undead killers and they're trying to hunt us to extinction."

"Gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'm going to step in here for a moment. Since you've decided to bring my employee fully into the fold, so to speak, there is too much information to impart to her in the time we have here right now. I've got a club to run, which she has to police. Let's deal with the fight tonight and you can bring her up to speed later."

"Yeah, ok."

"How about introductions first," Rio said. "I can't keep referring to you the way I am right now in my head."

"I think I'd like to hear that," the Reverend said, his laugh low, evil.

"I'm Vishous." He shot a scowl at the huge club owner. "That's Rhage, Zsadist and the other one from last night is his twin, Phury."

"Twins!" She clapped her hands. "I could see, even over that distance, that you two looked alike. Well, except for the hair and the scar."

"People don't often see the resemblance," Zsadist spoke gruffly, discomfort making him shift in his seat. "My twin is good looking. I'm not."

"Oh, yes you are," Rio protested. "And yellow eyes. How exquisite. I'll bet you think the scar makes you ugly, scares people. It doesn't, you know. It's when your eyes go black that does it. I could tell you why that is, from an outsider's perspective, but I won't insult you by making you think I'm presuming to know what your life has been like."

She looked around the room, a small frown touching her face. "What is it with your race and eyes? Do you even recognize how you've all got such gorgeous eyes? And from a human perspective some of you have eyes that only come out of a fantasy tale. Do you know how much that sucks for the rest of us who have to settle for the plain crap the good Lord left us with?"

"You are incredible, do you know that?" the Reverend told her softly.

She shot him a look, her eyebrows raised questioningly. "Ok, spill one of your secrets."

"My name is Rehvenge, son of Rempoon." He bowed his head slightly.

"Hmm, just like Xhex. Known only to the select few. Thank you." She bowed back to him then got serious again.


	7. Chapter 7

 

"Ok, on with last night. Like Blay said, I was out walking. And I walk the alleys whenever I can. I prefer walking at night because I can avoid the hordes and I like the secrets found in alleys. Although last night's secrets were a little bigger than I usually find.

"I heard noises as I got close and I saw three guys beating on someone. I worked my way to about ten feet from them before they saw me. I started giving them some smack about partying and could I join the fun. I was hoping to keep them off keel long enough for me to get next to that guy. And what's the deal with the no tans and the white hair?"

V answered her. "The skin, hair and eyes on _lessers_ pale out the longer they're in the Society. Nobody knows why but it's a sure way to know long they've been fighting."

"And also how strong they are too, right?" Rio nodded to herself. "Makes sense of what I saw. Two of them had brown hair and they were totally unglued when I ignored their warnings to get lost. Whitey was sharp. I didn't throw him off for long. Anyway, I did manage to get right up to your civilian before I lost control of the situation. That's when I saw the fangs. That's also when Whitey made his move toward me. I pulled my dagger and threw myself at him, low, taking out his legs. My plan was to come up behind him as he went down and cut his thighs but like you said, strength and experience. He pulled up his legs as he hit and rolled and all I managed was a deep cut across one calf.

"While he was down, the other two finally decided to play. One came at me with a gun and I stuck him in the arm then broke his nose. The other one was right on top of me and I barely had time to get my knife up to his chest. And wasn't that a sharp wake up. Pop, flash and the bastard was gone. If only I could have got that going every time. What's that about?"

"It doesn't matter what you do to a lesser, there are only two ways to kill him," V explained. "One is by stabbing him in the chest with something metal. That only sends him back to the Omega. The other way is permanent but we can talk about that later."

"The Omega and permanent. Later. Right." She nodded then continued. "So Brownie was still howling about his arm but Whitey was coming back. I said a quick prayer for your civie and took a chance on him being different enough for this to work. Told him if he had a fancy way of getting himself out of there now was the time. And he did. And shit, there was another trick I wish I knew. So now it was just a matter of staying alive long enough to get outta Dodge.

  
"Unfortunately I was stuck with the guy who knew what he was doing and he made that a hard trick to pull off. He came at me. I stuck him in the side. I stuck him in the back. I'd guessed he'd reached his limit when he threw an arm around my neck and started choking the life out of me. Then just for good measure he decided to soften up my ribs a little."

She heard several sharp breaths at that admission and she shook her head.

"Hey, as Jimmy Malone in the Untouchables says 'what the hell, you gotta die of something'. But I wasn't gonna make it easy for him. If any of you boys left him alive, he'll be singing soprano for a while and his eyes are gonna hurt like a bitch where I dug my thumbs in. And I took a good chunk out of his neck, too. Holy crap, that black shit is disgusting! I could still taste it when I woke up this afternoon. And I'm hoping like hell that it washes out of clothes cos mine are a mess and I only grabbed a couple of changes when I ran. Anyway, that's when you guys started showing up and I knew it was time to make my getaway."

"Why did you run from us?" Rhage asked. "And why run from your place?"

"I ran from you because since nobody very often sees the kind of smile I saw I guessed that might be something you boys would want to keep secret. I wasn't sure if I'd like whatever way you chose to do that. As for running from home…" she trailed off with a shrug.

 _They tracked you home, didn't they?_ John signed.

"You're right." She nodded at him. "I saw that one hightailing it when I hit that ladder and when I got home I realized my back pocket got torn somewhere along the way. My ID was in that pocket and it was gone. I was barely back when someone showed up at my door. Since none of you have admitted to that yet, I'm assuming it was him. I wasn't waiting around to find out. I grabbed some clothes and cash and ran. And that's about all there is to tell. So where do we go from here?"

She listened to the silence roll out over everybody but she kept her eyes on Vishous. It struck her early on that the gray matter behind those piercing diamond bright eyes was sterling quality material. This guy was a genius and definitely somebody worth listening to.

"We'll have to take you back with us," he finally said. "Wrath is going to want to see you when he hears this and it's too dangerous for you at home."

"So, if this is a whole society and not just an alley full of wing nuts, when will it be safe for me at home?" she asked shrewdly, her eyes still on Vishous.

She saw the shift in his expression and leaned back with a heavy sigh then scrubbed at her face with both hands before running them through her hair.

"Well," she pushed herself to her feet, "I'm off at four. You can come back for me then."

Voices stepped all over each other as everyone erupted at once.

"You can't go to work." Zsadist jumped to his feet, his eyes turning black as his anger flared out.

"You're not safe," Rhage insisted. "You gotta come now."

Qhuinn and Blaylock added their share to the racket and John's hands moved so fast Rio almost couldn't read them.

"Whoa, whoa, everybody… shut up!" Rio held her hands up. "I have a job to do. This is only my second day at it and already I'm sitting around on my ass socializing with all you nice killers. However, I was not hired to be a hostess. I'm security. And I'm thinking that since this office looks pretty fucking secure, I need to be getting my ass out on the floor. And I'm also pretty damn sure that there won't be too many _lessers_ waltzing into the club here looking for me. Why? Because it's pretty apparent to me that this whole vampire/lesser business is seriously hush hush. Why do I think that? Because the rest of us don't know about it! So between that and the way they reek, there's no sneaking anywhere for them and no grabbing me on the down low.

"Now, I seriously appreciate the protection as well as a roof because it's just gonna get too damn expensive to hang out even at the dump I'm in but I'm not free to party till four. Till then, gentlemen, good night. Boss."

She bowed slightly to Rehvenge then turned to Xhex and bowed.

"Boss."

And as she left the room full of huge, thick-blooded male vampire warriors, all with their mouths hanging open, she heard Rehvenge's rich baritone laughter thunder through the open door and roll across the club.

Rio was well aware that not one of the Brotherhood left the club after she'd excused herself from Rehv's office. There wasn't a lot of talking going on at that table but there sure as hell was a whole lot of drinking. Whenever Rio did a turn through the lounge the six males watched her from the shadows pooling around them. And when she was trolling the gen pop floor space, there was always one of them at the top of the steps, his eyes tracking her like a laser.

Most of the time she didn't think about it and so for large blocks of time, she wasn't even conscious of the bodyguards. But when she stationed herself in the dark to scan the potential trouble spots she would catch sight of whoever was taking his turn and a flicker of annoyance would bubble up. Especially since whoever was staking her out had his eyes riveted to the precise spot in the shadows that pinpointed her presence. Even when she toured the bathrooms, somebody was always waiting casually in the hallway till she came into view. All six of them took their turns keeping her in sight and as the night progressed, Rio found her annoyance climbing.

What really cranked her shit out and caused the annoyance to ratchet up into something that lashed like a whip was breaking up a fight in the men's mezzanine floor bathroom and turning to find Rhage in the doorway. His shoulder to ankle sweep of black leather, huge arms crossed over an equally huge chest and cold as ice stare froze all movement in the room. He was deadly to look at.

Rio grabbed her troublemakers by the arms and with a twist that carried their forearms halfway up their backs, she walked them through the crush and out the front door. Then she pegged Rhage with a look as hot as his had been cold and with a head jerk in the direction of his table she strode across the floor. She moved fast when there was room and pushed bodies out of the way when there wasn't, praying for a complaint. Just one.

Rhage slid into the booth calmly. Picking up his newly refilled coffee cup, which was all he ever had at the club, he took a slow drink like he had all the time he needed and everything was right in his world. It wasn't however right in Rio's and she leaned over, planting her palms flat on the table.

"I am done with this shit, you hear me?" she enunciated each word carefully, hard, biting back the fury rising fast in her. "I am here to do a job, which you are fucking with. When Rehv hires any of you as security then you can dog me. Until then, you will not watch me from the steps. You will not peg me in the shadows. You will not follow me around. And you absolutely will not fucking show up in a bathroom when I'm breaking up a fight and get in the middle of it." She looked at Rhage. "Even if it's just gunning some guy off."

Despite the fury peeling the skin off her like an acid bath she felt the power surge behind her and knew Rehv had entered the arena. She barely pulled a breath though and kept going.

"I see one more of you on my tail and you're all out of here tonight. I don't give a shit how much money you drop here. Rehv can do what he wants with you tomorrow. That's his call and he needs you more than he needs me. If he calls it I won't be here. I won't be anywhere in Caldie so your serious jonesing for the Babysitting Adventures with Nancy will be done. But tonight this is _my_ word. I see any of you out of your bubble," she indicated their table and the VIP bathrooms with a sweep of her hand then pointed to the exit behind them, "and you'll be meeting that door. I'm pretty sure there's enough muscle around here to help move you out, especially considering that whole _let's-keep-this-secret_ rule. Is any of this unclear?"

Not a sound rolled off any of them and Rio pushed herself upright. She turned to Rehvenge and waited, her green gaze locked on his amethyst stare. The bottom line was it was Rehv's call and what came next for her hinged on his decision. Rio held his gaze, strong and centered, totally prepared to walk if that was what he wanted.

As the seconds spun out, she knew he was waiting to see how committed she was to her word. This had been all on her and he wanted to know – would she back it? Finally he nodded once, the barest inclination of his head, the slightest lift of his mouth. She returned the nod and strode across the floor to the mezzanine level again.

"Gentlemen," Rehv's lazy voice, steel hard for all his apparent easiness, drifted along behind her.

Rio pushed her focus hard for the rest of her shift, trying to get her head tight again. That whole scene with the Brotherhood and the three young warriors who were rapidly getting very close to her had stirred up a whole lot of feelings she didn't want to have to deal with right now. Hell, cowardly or not, she didn't want to have to deal with them ever. That was a whole load of churning acid she could cheerfully do without. If she had to leave she didn't want to have to say goodbye to anyone. She didn't do goodbyes well, didn't want to have anyone who needed a goodbye.

No, that wasn't true. There had been one but she had no idea how to take back a goodbye that had never been said in a situation that should never have happened.

She didn't know if Rehv had said anything to the table as an added incentive to her barked orders but she had to give it to them. Nobody left that table except to visit those classy bathrooms down that long, glossy black hall. Actually, that wasn't exactly accurate. After a lot of _hey-how's-it-going_ and _here's-the-latest-intel_ back and forth between V's cell and someone on the other end, the Brothers had left for a couple of hours. After they returned Blaylock, Qhuinn and John pulled the vanishing act. It occurred to her that they were probably out hunting. Well, that was fine with her. Cos if they were hunting out there they weren't hovering in here.

Three forty-five finally rolled around and the bartenders and security staff gave last call. As four o'clock hit and Rio, along with the rest of the security crew, ran herd on the crowd making sure everybody left she saw that her boys were back. As a concession to Rio, because the situation was deadly serious, Rehvenge was allowing the six warriors to stay in the club till she was ready to leave. They kicked back, watching her work and when a high-roller at one of the VIP tables started giving her lip she felt the tension rise through all of them.

She blocked them out, keeping her focus on the business in front of her. She was firm but respectful trying to talk the guy out the door. When that didn't work she came down a little harder. Asshole still wasn't having any part of it so Rio shut off the charm.

"Sorry, buddy, but you're done. Now. I tried to do it your way, now we're doing it mine. Get your ass up."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the banquette. Before she could get him moving toward the door he exploded. With a harsh yell, he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her around.

"You bitch!" he snarled, throwing her down on the table. "Maybe some time with a real man will give your mouth something else to do."

He crawled on top of her then started fumbling with his belt. Rio heard heavy boots hit the floor and she yelled, "Nobody touches him!"

The drunk yanked his trousers and boxers down his hips then fell forward, grinding his mouth against hers. A second later he jerked upright, roaring in pain as the blood poured down his chin. Rio didn't bother wiping his blood from her face. She just drew back her arm and shot it out straight from her shoulder. She connected with the cock hanging directly in front of her eyes; once, twice, three times – the dull thud of knuckles hitting flesh ricocheted around the room like a body dropped from three floors up.

The high roller's face instantly ashed out as gray as a cement floor. Sweat slicked over his skin and his mouth split wide but his pain was too bone-deep for sound. Rio dragged her legs out from under him, pulling them tight into her. A second later, she pistoned them forward connecting solidly with his chest. The force of the blow hurtled him through the air.

The screams from those customers still not out the door yet finally got through to Rio as her assailant hit the wall opposite her. And at that point Rehvenge had enough. With a roar of fury he strode forward, burying his hand in the asshole's hair and yanked him up.


	8. Chapter 8

"I want this fucker locked down before I rip his throat out! I'll deal with him later. Trez!"

He snapped his head toward Rio, sending the huge Moor to her side. Then he flung the drunk at iAm who dragged him to a room out of sight at the back of the lounge. With a snap of his hand, he sent the rest of his security staff to clean out the stragglers ogling the action. Xhex crossed to Rio's side helping Trez get her on her feet.

The six warriors were bunched in front of their table jittering like a stone carving in an earthquake. Every one of them had hands fisted at their sides, biceps bulging and quivering with the strain of holding still. Every face was twisted with rage. It wasn't in their natures to stand by when anyone was being hurt or attacked, especially a female, but they had honored Rio's demand.

"Motherfucker!" she yelled, thrusting her hands through her hair and pacing manically between the banquettes.

Now with the sharp edge of her adrenaline rush settling fractionally, her battered hand started screaming. An ache rolled through her and settled in long term. An ache that felt like every bone in her right hand, and now her arm as well, was being slowly ground to dust between huge mill stones. She could hear the stones turning, the snap and crunch as bone fragments were reduced to their basest form – powder.

She squeezed her arm against her side and held her elbow tight. On her third lap around the booths her head rolled back on her neck and a deep, harsh groan crawled up her throat.

"Somebody cut it off," she moaned.

She sucked in a quick gasp, which quickly turned into a small hiccup followed by a wrenching coughing spell. She staggered blindly before banging into the same wall she'd kicked _Mr. Black-and-Blue-Nuts_ into. The cough ended in a high, tight cry.

"Fuck me," she gasped. "Somebody give me an axe. I'll do it myself. Cocksucker!"

With a snarl, Zsadist spun around and slammed his fist into the table. Then Rhage let out a yell, his heavy boots pounding across the floor as he muscled open the exit door with a bang and disappeared into the alley.

Vishous lit up a hand-rolled that twitched just a little and shot a look at Rehvenge. Even in the shadows pooling around him, those purple eyes blazed like flames. Everyone left in the room turned their heads at the growl that started low but built until it sounded like a wild animal on the loose. Rehvenge was well-known for his excellent treatment of his employees. His loyalty ran deep and what was happening to Rio was cranking his shit into a deadly place.

"Get her out of here," he growled. "Take her home, get her gone." He turned to Rio and his eyes flared. "Call me the minute you're inside and secure."

"Rehv," she protested weakly, shaking her head.

"Do it and quit fucking arguing!"

Rehv and V exchanged looks and with a slight nod, Vishous crossed over to ease Rio away from the wall. His cell rang and after uttering a couple of words he snapped it close.

"Butch is out back with the Escalade," he told the group.

As he led her to the door, Xhex spoke up. "You're off the next two nights. After that we'll see."

"Ah, Xhex, no," she cried softly. "I can do the job. I'll be fine."

"I'm not firing you. Just heal up some. Get a handle on what's doing with all this shit. We'll see how it's all going in a couple of nights."

"Thanks, boss," she whispered and stepped out into the alley.

V held her good arm as she sank slowly into the back seat. Once she was settled he climbed into the front and greeted the very large male behind the wheel. Rio couldn't tell how tall he was but the way he looked next to Vishous, they had to be about the same on their feet. Which put this guy around six foot six. The massive shoulders and the thick arm stretched out to the steering wheel, not to mention all that black leather, told her this was probably another Brother. Christ, how many of them were there?

"Butch, this is Rio. Rio, Butch. He's a Brother."

"Yeah, I kinda figured. All that leather is a giveaway. So where did everyone else go? They all walking or something?" Her voice was low, tired.

"They dematerialized home."

"What? Dematerialized? Goddamn, my species really got the evolutionary shaft. What the hell else can you do?"

Vishous chuckled softly. "We've got a few neat little tricks."

Despite the pain rolling over her in waves, a spark of mischief lit up her insides. "I'm sure you do," she purred, her voice sultry, electric.

Vishous sucked in a quick hiss and Butch burst out laughing. He reached out and shot his fist into the dark dream's shoulder.

"Damn, V, she's got your number. You could be in trouble here."

"Fuck you. Jane knows she's got nothing to worry about."

Rio laughed softly. "Ah, there's a woman in this. Do tell."

"Jane's his _shellan_. Uh, his wife," Butch responded. "Actually, it's Doc Jane and she'll be the one taking a look at you when we get you to the compound."

"This is just getting better and better. You know, when I first saw you guys in that alley I came up with a name for you, V. In my head, you know. Actually, it was more of a descriptive term than a name because, hey, I didn't know who you were. But the more I thought about it, in between trying to get the opportunity to do a pop flash on Whitey, well, it became a sort of name for you. I wonder what your wife will think of it."

Rio's voice was quiet, almost a soft caress. The pain and fatigue accounted for a lot of that but that spark of mischief was working overtime and she let a deliberate note of sensuality creep in.

"Oh, this I gotta hear," Butch yelled, barking out that full, deep laugh again.

"Shut up," Vishous grumbled, shooting a glare at his buddy.

"Come on, V, don't you want to know what she called you? I'm thinking you maybe should hear this before Jane does. You know, for damage control."

"Fuck you, cop."

Rio chuckled softly as she listened to the good-natured ribbing Butch was handing out. Even with V's swearing, it was very clear to her that the two men were friends. Very close friends. She could see it in their eyes, in the way they looked at each other.

She laid her head back on the seat and took a careful breath. The motion of the car was soothing and as long as they didn't run over any bumps, not too painful. She felt sleep pushing at the edge of her mind. Like it was trying to find a way in. She contemplated going with it but Rio wasn't a quitter. And she needed to know what was happening to her. She was being taken to God knows where by members of a species she hadn't known existed a few days ago. Surrender was not an option. She took another careful breath and spoke softly.

"Dark dream."

She opened her eyes and saw Vishous stiffen. His back went ramrod straight then he slowly brought up his hand-rolled and took a deep pull on it.

"Say that again?" Butch cried.

"Dark dream."

"Oh, my man, I so want to be there when she meets Jane," Butch choked out, his laughter bouncing through the vehicle.

Rio closed her eyes again, her smile spreading slowly. And decided maybe she could sleep. Just a little nap. Just for a few minutes.

Rio woke. Just like that. One minute she was out cold, the next her engine was running, all the gears engaged.

She let her eyes track around the room, kept her head still, ignoring that the hair trailing down her cheek and across her nose was setting up a maddening itch. Where the hell was she? As her eyes dropped lower she saw the light bandage wrapped around her hand and just like that it was there. The Brotherhood's compound.

That was it. Her nose couldn't take the tickle anymore and quick as a blink her chest seized then a powerful sneeze exploded from her. The jolt immediately started a coughing fit.

The pain that had taken up residence in her like a living thing was torn from sleep by that violent eruption. It rocked through her like a high pitched aria, reminding her why she didn't like opera. She rolled slowly onto her back, hissing as her ribs took up the song.

"Son of a bitch!" she moaned, her whole body screaming.

Lying limp in a strange bed, her mind drifted. Slowly at first then faster, it all came back. The violent end to her second shift at the club. The ride with two vampires to a training compound and residence that would put to shame any reigning monarch. Meeting with a king, no less. Actually, the king of the vampires, if you could believe it.

She was told in no uncertain terms that humans just didn't get admission to this fantasy land hidden in plain view for a whole lot of reasons nobody had time to go into right then. But his gruffness had softened a bit when he relented to her pain. With the warning that they would continue this later, he had sent her off to see the Brotherhood's resident doctor, Doc Jane.

Dark dream's wife.

She was exactly the kind of woman Rio liked. And respected. Could even become friends with, if she were to open herself up that much. And despite Wrath's dragon roar and grumbling, she was human. Or at least she had started out that way before she'd been killed by a _lesser_ then restored by the race's divine spiritual head, the Scribe Virgin. Restored after a fashion, at any rate.

Because Doc Jane was a ghost.

Not that she couldn't pull off the poke and prod that any good doctor could do. As she'd reached for Rio's arm her gauzy faint-as-smoke appearance had solidified and her touch felt just as real as any Rio had encountered. Apparently, all she had to do was focus and she was solid. Rio thought about how she could've used some of that action with numb nuts at the club.

Somewhere during the course of Doc Jane finding out if Rio would live, the conversation had turned to her first look at Vishous. Which naturally led to other conversations.

"Dark dream?" The smile climbed Doc Jane's face.

"Oh, yeah." Rio nodded, hissing a little as the doc followed the line of her rib cage around to her spine. "I could see those tats flashing from across the alley and against those eyes…" she trailed off, sighing in exaggerated ecstasy.

Doc Jane barked out a rich laugh just as Vishous stuck his head around the clinic door. Rio looked over at him and when Jane followed the direction of her stare her laughter rose.

"You know, you're right," she said to Rio. "Hey, my dark dream. How's it going?"

V crossed the room with a growl and wound his heavy arms around his _shellan_. He turned his glare on Rio, who had to grab her ribs when she started laughing.

"You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?"

"And miss that scowl? Not on your life." She turned to Jane. "So, am I gonna live?"

Vishous released his _shellan_. She turned back to Rio and picked up her battered hand again.

"Yes. But this has me very surprised. Amazingly there are no bones broken but it will hurt for awhile. And this looks really battered for just one fight. How many guys did you hit?"

"Oh, this isn't from just one fight, Doc." Rio shifted on the gurney while Doc Jane smoothed antibiotic salve over the torn skin. "It was actually three."

V's brows pulled into a scowl. "Three?"

"Yeah. The alley, the one with numb nuts, and me and one of the bathroom stall doors had a go at it. That was Thursday night before any of the rest of this happened."

V's frown cranked down as he ran through memories looking for that story.

"Don't stress that gorgeous gray matter of yours," Rio laughed. "The boys were with me that night and it had nothing to do with _lessers_ so it's obviously not something you'd know about."

"The boys?" Vishous repeated. "You mean John, Qhuinn and Blay? When were they with you?"

It was obvious Vishous was having trouble processing what she was saying, despite his massive intelligence. It was apparent he was too focused on the fight with the _lessers_ to lock onto anything else. Rio snickered briefly before getting serious.

"It was the first night I met them. Last Thursday. We'd been talking about something just after Xhex hired me. It was a personal story that… should never have made an appearance. Let's leave it at that, shall we?"

As Rio rolled over in bed and the echoes of the memories faded out, she thought of that admission. Oh god, she hoped he wouldn't go to the boys to find out what had happened. Despite the driving need she'd felt to spill her guts that night, it hadn't taken long for her to regret it. Especially in light of what had followed.

She threw back the covers and took a deep breath. Holding it in, tensing up in preparation, she flipped herself up and pushed off the bed. Holding her spot on the floor, she braced herself on the end table while her breath leaked out in a low moan.

"This is _so_ not what I want to wake up to," she groaned, heading slowly to the bathroom.

She cranked on the water, grinning through clenched teeth at the beauty of that marble enclosure. Six shower heads. Damn, she wouldn't have to move. She carefully snapped on the rubber glove Doc Jane had given her to keep her bandage dry and eased into the stall.

Rio finished straightening the bed and reached for her knife holster before leaving the room. Not going anywhere out there without that. Not that it was likely to do her much good with all the muscle under this roof. As she pulled the door open she heard smooth gears turning at the windows. Steel shutters retracted and she popped a grin.

Right. Vampires. No sun.

Stepping into the hall was like stepping into a museum. Or a five star hotel. Door after door passed her as she made her way down a hall the length of a runway. The white marble statues along one side stood in various stages of undress and glowed like silk under their overhead lights. After a moment Rio realized they looked like they were walking along beside her. How unique.

She turned a corner. The hallway opened into a balcony that looked out over a huge foyer that blazed with color and light. She didn't remember much of it from her arrival. By the time she'd been helped into this magical space the only thing pounding into her consciousness had been the pain.

Two more stories above her was an exquisite ceiling mural where hero warriors rode among the heavens and the angels. A story below, spread out like a feast for the eyes on the mosaic tile floor, was a huge apple tree in full bloom. Throughout the room columns rose like massive tree trunks; green malachite columns traded space with claret marble columns against a backdrop of bright yellow walls. Mirrors were framed in gold, sconces draped with crystal like ice chips frozen for all eternity.

Rio forced her lungs to unlock, to start breathing again. She made herself move and by the time she reached the staircase she started loosening up a bit. The pain settled down to a dull roar and she had hope that she might make it through this night in one piece yet.

The smell of herbed chicken reached her at the bottom of the staircase and the laughter and voices told her that whoever lived here was sitting down to a meal. She turned in the direction of the sounds, suddenly worried about her reception.

It was a big dining room dominated by a huge table. A table full of people. Damn. It didn't help that quite a few of those faces now turning to her were familiar.

Qhuinn, Blaylock and John were at one end. Vishous and Jane. Rhage, that blonde god, was sitting beside a pretty dark haired woman who, despite her calm serenity, looked like she'd fought and conquered her own wars.

Butch O'Neal, the Irish vampire, of all things, was next to a stunningly gorgeous blond woman who took her breath away. It was clear when he glanced down at the woman that he felt the same way.

A tall beauty with long mahogany hair was next to the scarred vampire, Zsadist, who, shockingly, was holding a small infant in his massive arms. His twin was beside him, sitting alone.

Rio raised an eyebrow. "No beautiful woman with you? That hardly seems fair. To you or… any woman."

Phury returned her grin. "My _shellan_ is at home. We don't live here."

At the head of the table was the king.

Wrath.


	9. Chapter 9

Six feet six inches of terror in leather. Waist length, straight black hair fell from a widow's peak and black wraparound sunglasses covered eyes she was sure would slice through you like a blade. His face was both aristocratic and brutal but there was no denying his appeal. He was knock-down gorgeous, if only because he looked like he'd take whatever he wanted from a woman. And Rio was sure the woman would beg him for that.

It was clear the woman in question was the tall, dark haired beauty beside him. As he looked at Rio he turned and pulled the woman back against his chest, his massive arms wrapping around her tight. If he was the king, odds were pretty good this had to be his queen.

"Come on in," he spoke, his deep voice rumbling. "Find a chair. Somebody get her a chair."

Immediately Qhuinn and Blaylock shifted, pulling an empty seat between them. Rio shook her head, grinning at the almost desperate push and shove and before she got around the table an old man in a butler's getup shuffled in with a full place setting cradled in his arms and a huge grin plastered on his wrinkled, drooping face. He waited until she was seated then quickly set her up.

"Thanks, Fritz," Wrath said before looking at Rio. "Dig in. Get some food in you before we do any talking."

Everyone passed dishes down the table and between Qhuinn, Blaylock and John scooping food onto her plate faster than she could ask for anything it was only a matter of seconds before she had a mound of food in front of her big enough to choke a horse.

"Thanks, boys." She shook her head in disbelief. "Can I expect this kind of service at every meal? God, I should hope not or I can kiss goodbye any relationship with the outside world."

The silence at the table had her looking up.

"Like I'm gonna make it through any door after eating like this for too many days?" she asked in a deadpan voice.

The silence held for only another second or two before Wrath threw back his head and roared. Everyone's laughter rolled around the table and Rio grinned at the sheepish expressions on the three younger vampires' faces.

"Eat what you can," Wrath finally choked out. "Throw the rest out. No problem."

"Good plan," she shot back firmly.

"How are you feeling tonight?" Doc Jane asked as everyone got back to eating.

"After the sneeze and the coughing spell, I have no idea how I survived the roll out of bed and the shower." She held up her hand. "And while the bandaging is a lovely job, it's gotta come off. I don't do well with bandages. I couldn't even stand band aids as a kid. They lasted all of a minute and a half. Maybe."

Jane shook her head. "You've got some deep splits over those knuckles. And you need the antibiotic salve, which won't stay put without a bandage."

Rio finished her mouthful of chicken then took a quick swallow of coffee.

"Doc, years ago I got a slice that laid open a tendon. I wrapped a cloth around it till it quit bleeding. I did nothing else with it. No stitches, no salve, no bandaging. In three hours the cut was closed enough it wouldn't pop open. By the next day the faint scabbing was gone, so was the cut, and now you can barely see any scar. I heal great, Doc. But not so much when I'm wrapped up. Who knows why."

The meal continued in silence for a few minutes before Wrath turned to her again. "Ok, between what happened Sunday night and the reports I got last night I'm pretty sure I got the whole story."

He fell silent for a moment but Rio could read his confusion.

"But…" she pushed.

He shoved his chair back from the table and ran his hands through his hair.

"What's bothering you about this?" she asked, noticing grins around the table.

Apparently people either didn't read this huge vampire very much or they didn't tell him they did. Would he take it as a challenge? And if he did, would she live through it?

"I need a fucking drink," he said in a low grumble.

"That sounds like a plan I can live with," she agreed as she got to her feet. "Lead on, king."

He got up and shot a hard look across the table at her. "Pretty arrogant for a woman, aren't you. And a human, at that."

Rio felt the tension surround her, pouring off the men like a cold wind. It was hard to tell if they were worried or pissed. The women's reactions were easier to read. Fear, pure and simple. She kept her gaze locked on the massive vampire standing in front of her.

"Yeah, I've heard that before," she said smoothly. "I've also been told from time to time I'm not very human. Since nobody seemed able to agree on which it was, I figured there wasn't much point worrying about it. I mean, I couldn't make everybody happy so I decided to just go with the _I-don't-give-a-shit_ option."

She waited to see what came next. If she was going to die here, so be it. The minute she'd gotten into that Escalade last night all her options had been sewn up. But she always knew she'd go down with her head up.

Wrath shook his head in disbelief then barked out a harsh laugh.

"Shit, woman, you've got a huge set of balls on you. But I'm the king. I'm not fucking serving you."

Just like that the tension was gone and as Rio followed V to the bar in a huge billiards room she felt eyes on her. Apparently she was an object of interest because she caught the speculation on every Brother's face as she actually poured the drink for both the king and his queen. Beth wasn't expecting that and as Rio turned to her with the glasses she laughed in surprise. Rio kept a hold of Wrath's drink, though, and with a quick wink at Beth she crossed to him and taking a deep bow held his glass out in front of her.

There was a split second of that explosive silence again till Wrath snatched the glass from her.

"Fuck off!" he yelled and Beth burst out laughing. "Sit'ya ass down before I throw you in the dungeon or something."

Rio retrieved her drink from the bar and looked around. "Is there a dungeon in this place? I mean, it's big enough. But I'll take the dungeon over beheading any day, your highness."

Rio listened to the laughter and quick jokes bounce around the room till Wrath finally leaned forward in his chair, his arms on his thighs. The room quieted as everyone realized it was time to get down to business.

"I guess I'm just having a hard time understanding how you could roll so easily with all this. I know V told you some shit about us so you know we work to keep our existence a secret from humans. You also know we take the memories from humans when we have to reveal ourselves in any way. And I'm sure you know how your species looks at us; the bullshit stories you tell yourselves about vampires. _Lessers_ are just as secretive. So I guess one of my problems is how you didn't just go running from the shit that went down in that alley. Hell, I can't figure out why you even got far enough into that alley to see what was going down. I mean, forget human. You're a woman! Why would you even go near three guys beating down another one?"

Rio was quiet for a minute trying to figure out how to explain herself without sounding like she was on a shrink's couch. She wasn't sure she could pull it off.

"Do I call you your highness or my lord or anything like that, or just Wrath?"

He growled and peeled his lips back from his fangs. "Do not make me regret liking you," he snarled.

She heard a couple of soft hisses and held her palms up in surrender.

"Well, Wrath, to answer your last question first, surely to God Xhex is not the only woman you've ever met who can handle herself, even against men?"

"Vampires aren't men or women. That's a human thing. We're male or female."

"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well, that's cool. But still, she isn't, is she?"

"I guess she isn't but it doesn't happen much for us. It's in our nature to protect our females, which means we don't handle them being in danger very well. It's also in their nature to submit to the males."

Rio straightened quickly, her face going hard at the words. "Whoa, easy on the language, my lord. No disrespect meant here, but me and that word have reached an understanding."

"Which is?" he barked.

"It doesn't fucking exist in my world." Her voice went as cold and hard as her eyes. "Not anymore."

"Granted." Wrath inclined his head to her before continuing. "I should point out that it doesn't hold the same meaning in this case. In vampire society, females are held in the highest esteem. A male's need to protect and provide are as instinctive as breathing, for the most part. For the females, knowing how deep this instinct runs, submitting only means they accept that behavior just as instinctively, more easily. I know most human women look to their men for protection. It's just a stronger drive in vampire society."

"Alright, accepted. To answer you, I've never been able to stand aside and let someone else get shit kicked. I've got no patience with bullies. And that's all these guys are. In your world or my world or any other worlds that might be hiding from both of us, anybody, male or female, who can only get their kicks or their power from beating somebody down lower than they are are just bullies. And cowards cos they got no balls to find their own strength in an honorable way. And it doesn't matter if the beating is with their fists or their mouths. I've been on the receiving end of both and the pain hurts no matter how you get it. So that explains why I went into the alley to start with.

"As for rolling with the rest of the surprises, what the hell. I grew up on Lost in Space, Star Trek and Star Wars. And I didn't stop there. Now it's Stephen King novels, the Matrix, Harry Potter magic and the Lord of the Rings elves."

She paused when Butch started choking on his Lagavulin. Vishous pounded on his buddy's back till he sucked in a harsh breath.

"Fuck me," he muttered, shaking his head as Rio started laughing.

"What, you don't like Lord of the Rings?" she asked innocently as he shot her a glare.

Butch fired back the last mouthful of Scotch then staggered to the bar for a refill. Rio smirked at the grin on V's face.

"Anyway," she continued pointedly. "Fantasy doesn't really exist in my world. My reality is anything goes. It's actually a hard concept to explain because I believe in everything and nothing at the same time. I'm a cynic, hence believing in nothing. Comes from what I've seen and experienced. You know, the beat downs, the kids being stripped of things nobody has the right to take, the animals who only offer love and loyalty but get the hard edge of starvation, abandonment and someone's boot.

"But at the same time there's a conviction alive somewhere in me that says without believing in all possibilities we're already dead. Life is not static. It only happens where there is change and growth, which comes out of possibilities. Everything discovered, learned or created started out as a possibility once. The possibility to find something stronger, better, more useful. There's no end to it. So why can't there be other life in the universe? How arrogant are we to believe that we could be the only intelligence _anywhere?_ And for some being out there who's farther along the evolutionary scale than us, how could their science not appear as magic to us? Hell, you've got tricks. A manipulation of energy, that's all it is whether it comes from a mind or a device.

"So I see a guy with fangs. My grandmother was born with six toes on each foot and webs between her fingers. So I see a bunch of guys with white hair who smelled like baby powder. So did my grandmother. Granted, the pop and flash was a little unique," she paused when Butch started choking again.

"Hey, cop," she called, causing raised eyebrows at her use of their affectionate nickname for the vampire, "you might want to leave that glass alone till we're done talking."

That was the end of conversation for a while as everyone's self-control disappeared. As the laughter raged out of control and the good-natured back pounding swept the room, Rio got up and poured herself another drink. She looked around at the group in front of her and felt a surge of warmth ease through her. These males and females may be from a different species but the friendship, companionship and acceptance felt in this room were no different than anything between friends in her world.

And in actuality, Doc Jane had been human before the Scribe Virgin had given her back a form of life. Rhage's _shellan,_ Mary, was human, though changed by the Scribe Virgin, too, and Beth had been half human before she went through her transition and became Wrath's _shellan_ and the race's queen. And let's not forget Butch, the Irish half-breed vampire.

Doc Jan had told her that Butch O'Neal used to be a human, a Caldwell police lieutenant before he fell in with the Brotherhood and found out along the way that he had vampire blood in him. Was, in fact, descended from Wrath's line. A cousin of sorts.

Wrath, the blind king of the race. And the last purebred vampire on the planet, the only one without a drop of human blood in him. Which explained his dislike of humans. Yet right here in this room, the two species had already come together.

Rio looked at the king as the room calmed down. "So where are we in all this? I get that the vampire world needs to be a well-kept secret. And I think you know already that nobody's hearing anything from me. Same thing goes for your war with the _lessers_. I also get that no matter who I am, I'm in their radar now, although what they expect to get out of me is beyond me."

"They'll try to get information about the Brotherhood," Wrath explained. "In the past they slaughtered indiscriminately. In the last hundred years or so, they've changed their focus. Now, though they're still killing off civilians, they capture them first and torture them for any information about the Brotherhood."

"Because you're the protectors, right," Rio said.

Wrath nodded. "Yeah. Their end goal is the extinction of the vampire race. Without us, the race is vulnerable and can be wiped out easily."

"Well, if they'd had gotten their hands on me in the alley wouldn't they have been pissed to find out I knew shit about you."

"They would've killed you in the alley," Vishous spoke up. "You were a human who meant nothing to them and was in their way. But once you helped the civilian escape that will have got them wondering what you know about vampires and especially the Brotherhood. They won't stop looking for you now."

"Fabulous," Rio sighed. "Nothing like being on somebody's top ten list. So, let's talk about something cheerier. I heard something about a Scribe Virgin and an Omega and two avenues of death, one permanent and one not. Who wants to explain?"

Wrath grinned. "In our lexicon, our spiritual head is the Scribe Virgin. At the beginning of time she was given the power for the creation of life only once and so created the vampire race. Her counterpart, your Devil, I guess, is the Omega. He can't create life and hates the Scribe Virgin because she can. So he takes humans who are willing to sell their souls and turns them into undead killers."

"I remember that." Rio nodded. " _Lessers_ in the Lessening Society. I can't say they were very creative in their name but I get who they are and what they're about. And at this point I do know that one way to kill them is to stab them in the chest with something metal. After which, they go pop, flash and are gone."

"Right. Vishous, you and your boy there want to take over?"

V lit a hand-rolled and Rio watched the wreath of smoke obscure his face for a moment. She breathed in the scent of the aromatic Turkish tobacco with a happy sigh.

"The Omega creates a _lesser_ by draining a human of blood and removing the heart. He places a piece of himself inside the corpse, injects his own blood and reanimates the body. When a _lesser_ gets popped, he doesn't actually die. He goes back to the Omega. Butch here is the permanent solution."

Rio popped her eyebrows as she looked at the huge male beside him and shot him a grin. "Not to diminish the seriousness of this conversation but I'm assuming your contribution does not interfere with your enjoyment of that glass."

The cop flashed a broad grin, a chipped front tooth catching the light briefly before he got serious again.


	10. Chapter 10

"When we found out I actually had vampire blood in me, that I'm descended from Wrath's line, the Scribe Virgin told us I'm the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy about the coming of the Dhestroyer. This prophecy foretold of a Brother who could circumvent the return of a _lesser_ to the Omega. The Dhestroyer, me, inhales the essence of a _lesser,_ in effect absorbing the Omega's evil and stopping his essence from returning to him. The _lesser's_ body turns to ash and is gone."

Wrath spoke again. "The Omega is a finite being and needs every returning _lesser_ to continue existence. Every time Butch consumes a _lesser_ he destroys another piece of the Omega."

"So eventually there's no more Omega," Rio said, nodding her head. She looked back to the cop. "Does it make you sick? I mean, if you're sucking in all that evil, how do you process it? It doesn't make sense that if it gives them their life it would just become inert when you take it in."

She watched approval for her fast grasp of the situation flare in both men's eyes, approval heard in the rumble of voices around her. She also saw the fear and anguish fill up Marissa's eyes and knew just how that female was feeling about the evil constantly flowing into her male's body.

With a quick look at both Butch and Wrath, Vishous held up his left hand and pulled off the driving glove covering it. Rio drew is a light gasp at the glow that surrounded his hand and the tattoos covering it from fingertip to wrist.

"One of the legacies from my mother, the Scribe Virgin, who fucked me out of a decent life when she screwed with her _one-creation-of-life-only_ order," he said, keeping his tone flat, "and my contribution to the Dhestroyer prophecy. While this will effectively ash a large building in about three minutes flat, it also destroys the Omega's evil once Butch has absorbed it. I heal him with it."

Rio stared at him for long minutes as if she was absorbing something from him. Finally Vishous shifted in his seat, his eyes narrowing as his discomfort grew.

"And in healing him you're healed, too, aren't you," she spoke in a low absent way, like she was talking in her sleep. "Cos these legacies have been a real head fuck for a long time."

She watched the shock hit his face then pass on to Butch and Jane. It was shock that she saw into him, saw not what had been done to him but how deeply it had affected him.

"Hey, man, sorry!" she cried softly, coming back into her head and holding up her hands in apology. "I drift sometimes and my mouth opens and my brain does its own thing. I don't always know where the hell it's coming from. I did not mean to poke at anything better left untouched. And did not mean any disrespect!"

Vishous pounded back his Grey Goose. "It's no BFD. I know exactly how that feels. Another one of my legacies." He touched the tattoos beside his left eye.

Suddenly she frowned, breathing deeply. A strong scent of fresh air and sunshine poured through the room and a wave of heat hit her back. She saw heads turn in the direction of the door and before she could look around Wrath spoke.

"Hey, Tohr, we missed you at First Meal."

Rio twisted in her chair and stopped breathing as her whole body clenched. She barely registered the man who was as tall as the Brothers but not as well built. He had dark hair cut military short and was dressed in gym clothes, a towel around his neck. But this male wasn't the reason Rio's body had gone into shutdown.

Long black and blond hair framed a masculine face of such stunning beauty she locked down tight in shock. Tall, his massive body was covered in a tight black t-shirt and camouflage pants. Gold chains hung from his thick neck and one eyebrow was pierced with a plain gold ring. But his eyes! They blazed white, pupil less, a bright blue ring around each iris that darkened to navy as he looked at her.

And he glowed.

Rio stood up slowly, her body numb. Her eyes were riveted to this magnificent creature and when her head started to spin she realized she still hadn't drawn a breath since he'd appeared in the doorway. She sucked in a huge gasp and watched him take a step toward her. She was vaguely aware of Qhuinn and Blaylock both calling her name but she couldn't answer them. She couldn't tear her eyes away from this creature in front of her.

She heard a chiming from somewhere, the sound growing like bells. Pure silver bells ringing and all she could think of was that voices from heaven must sound like that. As the sound swelled the glow around him spread. He became the sun, the beautiful fresh air scent growing stronger, and then she heard his voice in her head. It was gorgeous; all cool, silver water flowing over smooth rocks, and chiming bells. No words. She didn't know what he was saying. There was just his voice and those bells and that blaze of golden sunlight swelling, growing, filling her, taking her over.

She felt hands on her but she was going down and it didn't matter. She was falling into that sun and her life was complete. Her soul was saved.

Rio opened her eyes and saw her ceiling overhead. She stayed motionless, trying to get a sense for what the hell had happened and how she'd ended up back in her room. She slowly lifted her head and looked around.

Her boys were spread out around the bed. John and Blaylock were stretched out on chairs, heads back, eyes closed. Qhuinn was on the floor with his back against the wall. He had his knees bent, his forearms stretched out on them and his head down on his arms. She thought he didn't look very comfortable.

She tried sitting up but her body didn't want to cooperate. She cleared her throat and felt like she'd been on an all-night bender. "What the hell happened?" she croaked.

Instantly, all three males were up and crowding her close.

John touched her arm to get her attention.  _I'm going for Wrath. He wanted to know the minute you woke._

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. The mattress dipped as both males sat beside her and she laughed at the fear shadowing their faces. "Easy, boys, I'm still alive," she reassured them. "Although I do feel like I just did the big dive with no chute. How long was I out?"

"It's been an hour," Blaylock's tension was clear when he spoke.

"Fucking Lassiter," Qhuinn grumbled. "What the hell did he think he was doing?"

"Ok, I'm assuming Lassiter was that great glowing sun out there but _what_ is he?"

Wrath strode into the room at that moment. "He's a fallen angel," he answered, "and he's here with Tohr."

Rio rubbed her forehead. "Oh, we're still playing Twenty Questions, are we?"

"Tohrment," Wrath explained. "He was the other guy. He's another one of our Brothers. His _shellan_ and their unborn young were killed by a _lesser_ a little over a year ago. A _shellan_ is a vampire's whole life and after we told Tohr what had happened, he disappeared. Literally. He vanished on the spot and we didn't know where he was or if he'd be back. It hit us all hard but it hurt John the most."

He looked at the young vampire sitting on her bed and his gut wrenched as he watched that huge, hard body curl in on itself.

"Tohr brought John in to us just before his transition. He and Wellsie were the parents John never had. Anyway, Lassiter found Tohr just a short while ago, almost dead, and brought him back to us."

"A fallen angel," she repeated softly. Even as her voice rolled out empty and lost she reached out and caught John's hand and squeezed, comforting, holding him close. "You know what? After everything I said about fantasies being reality for me and not shocking out over anything, I don't know what to do with a fallen angel. That leaves me at a total loss and scares the hell out of me."

"Well, most of us would like to beat the hell out of him," Wrath growled, " for a number of reasons over the centuries so I guess that just gives us another good reason to do it."

"No, don't look at it that way," she protested, pushing herself higher up on the bed. "I'm not scared of him because he makes me afraid."

_Then why?_ John signed.

Rio shook her head slowly, her face closing down. "I don't think I want to say." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up slowly. "I need a drink, though. Is he still down there?"

"No. I think he's in Tohr's room."

"Do I have to pass his room to get downstairs?"

"No," Wrath said. "They're at the other end of the second hall. Rio, what the hell is this about? I want to know what's doing."

She shook her head again. "Uh uh. Don't ask."

He grabbed her arm as she shuffled past him. "Goddamn it, this is my house and what goes on in here is all my business. To know and to protect against, if necessary. If he scares you for any reason I want to know."

"Please, Wrath," she begged, her eyes on the floor. "Not yet. It takes my breath away and I can't be out of control like that. You don't know what my past has been and I'm still alive only because of the strength of my control. I'm fighting right now, inside. Please, give me some time."

They stood locked together as the seconds crawled by. Finally Wrath let go of her and she almost ran from the room. She heard the heavy boots following behind her as she skimmed down the stairs, almost without touching them, and stumbled once as she ran into the billiards room. She thought everyone would have gone on to other things after her elegant swan dive but they were all still there. Like they'd been waiting for her.

Nobody spoke as she poured herself a shot of Grey Goose. Not even when she hesitated then filled the glass nearly to the top. Nobody spoke when she crossed to the French doors and stood looking out over the pool and the lush lawn and the flowers spilling from a huge stone planter.

Nobody spoke as she drained the glass in three swallows then opened the door and went out into the night. Nobody spoke when she turned suddenly and hurled the glass at the huge tree by the edge of the flagstone walkway then threw back her head and screamed into the dark.

Wrath strode hard across the room, his boots pounding on the floor. He said nothing as he reached Rio and swung her up into his massive arms.

"Move!" he yelled at Rhage and Mary, back inside and approaching the sofa.

As they cleared off fast he laid her down then stepped away as her back arched and she screamed again.

"Goddamn it, Rio, talk!" he yelled, clearly at a loss to know what to do. "What did that bastard do to you to make you so goddamn afraid?"

"I told you, he doesn't make me feel afraid," she sobbed, curling into herself. "He makes me feel complete. And I can't go there again. I can't be that vulnerable again."

Before anyone could respond to that, she smelled the scent of fresh air and sunlight again and moaned softly. Everyone turned as the angel strode into the room.

"Lassiter, get the fuck out of here," Wrath snapped, furious, "or I swear, angel or not, I'll snap off your arms and feed them to you."

The angel's golden glow brightened with each step he took and by the time he reached the couch where Rio lay it hurt to look at him.

"You're out of it, Wrath," his voice gorgeous purity and unearthly power at the same time. "Tohr's the reason I came, she's the reason I stayed. She's mine."

He leaned down and swept her into his arms. She sank into his power, the light pouring over her like liquid gold. Lassiter's glow surged till he was the sun and there were sharp cries as everyone covered their eyes. It was like watching a supernova burn and as Rio and Lassiter faded from sight his voice came to them from a distance.

"I'll bring her back, I promise."

Rio was floating. She was afraid to open her eyes but she was more afraid to feel so lost with no sense of place.

It was white. Everything was white and she was struck by a dizzying disorientation. But then she saw movement. It was actually just a shifting in the white. Like smoke drifting in a breeze. Swirling, dipping. Just enough to ground her, to stop the spinning in her head.

Slowly she stretched her arms out, spread her fingers wide. The bandage was gone from her hand and nothing hurt anywhere. She flexed her fingers and could tell immediately that the swelling was gone. She took a deep breath, pulling the air far down into her lungs and felt no pain in her ribs. But she also felt nothing else either. No surface beneath her, no sense of anything solid around her anywhere.

Wait a minute. Something was different. Where she had felt the weight of her clothes before now there was nothing. Another shift and a coolness touched her skin. There was no breeze, just a shift in the air temperature. Her skin puckered, her nipples peaking, and a light shiver ran down her thighs. Her body trembled and where everything else felt as if a cool breath had swept down her heat welled between her legs.

She gasped as her thighs parted almost instinctively. She made no conscious decision to do it but the minute her legs swept open that heat flared. Her core wept, needy, pulsing, and heat touched her breasts.

"Oh god, please," Rio cried brokenly, her head kicked back as her body suddenly throbbed.

The cool freshness was gone, replaced by a tingling heat covering every inch of her. She panted, her lungs laboring as her core bloomed and clenched. She felt wetness filling her, running, her thighs slick with it.

"What's happening?" she screamed as the blast took her and it all went black.

"Is she back yet?" Wrath snapped as Rhage stuck his head into the study.

"Not yet, my lord."

"Don't start with that shit!"

Rhage proved he had a brain by keeping quiet as he crossed the room, popping one of his ever present Tootsie Pops into his mouth. The rest of the Brothers followed just as silently. Everyone moved to their favorite spots. Zsadist crossed to stand by the fireplace. Phury, who had been called back from the Adirondacks where he had been caring for the Chosen, stood close to his twin. V and Butch parked themselves on the pale blue couch against the wall while Tohr dropped carefully into his office chair. It was an ugly-ass, avocado green monstrosity that had been dragged up for John just after Tohr had disappeared. Because John wouldn't sleep anywhere else for a long time.

"Where are the other three?" Wrath demanded, referring to the three younger vampires who were noticeably absent.

V fired up one of his hand-rolled cigarettes and immediately the room filled with the tangy Turkish smoke. "They couldn't take the waiting and pacing anymore. They hit the streets."

"Fucking shit!" Wrath slammed his fist down hard. "I know we need to be out hunting but not when we're all up in our heads like this. It's not safe and they bloody well know it. They're in this too much and they aren't thinking clear. How the hell did they get that wrapped around her, anyway? Hell, even John is fixated on her and everyone knows where him and Xhex are headed."

"Well, shit, Wrath," Butch spoke up, "we all seem to be in the same boat. I mean, none of us hardly know her and yet look at us. We're all wound tighter than a spring and not in a way that's normal for concern over just a female."

He looked at the Brothers scattered around the room. "I don't know if anybody else's _shellans_ have said anything but even Marissa mentioned how intense her feelings were for Rio. She told me it felt like a beloved sister had been lost. Like someone she'd been very close to for a long time had been taken and she's never had a feeling like that about anyone before."

Wrath's brows drew down tight and he drummed his fingers on the desk top for several moments. Then he turned to Tohr.

"Tohr, what does this feel like to you? I mean, you haven't spent any time with her. You might be the only one who can make any sense out of this."

Tohr shook his head, his typical tight focus on a problem hardening up his face.

"Well, I can't explain why you're all feeling about her the way you do because you're right. With me not spending any time with her yet, I haven't had a chance to make any kind of connection. But what really hit me was Lassiter."

"Lassiter?" Wrath snapped.

Tohr nodded. "I can't say that I ever feel anything emotional from him and that's why this stands out so clearly. I felt… something… pushing at him as we approached the billiards room door. And when we got there and Rio stood up it was like an energy surge just poured out of him."

"What kind of energy surge?" Phury asked quietly.

Tohr shrugged. "When he looked at her that glow of his spiked and I swear I saw a thread of red shoot through it for a second. And the feelings…" he trailed off.

"Tohr?" Wrath pushed when the Brother didn't speak again.

"There was a rush of emotions that just slammed into him."

"What kind of emotions?" Rhage demanded, the Tootsie Pop getting crushed in anger between the huge blonde's molars.

Tohr opened and closed his mouth two or three times before finally shaking his head with a frustrated sigh. "There was too much tangled up together to explain. To even sort through, except for one. I got one very strong feeling from him." He looked across at Wrath. "Completion. He felt complete."

"Fuck me," Butch murmured under his breath.

"That's what she said about him," Wrath added quietly. "He made her feel complete."

The silence slid over the room like a shroud. No one spoke. What could they say? There was no way to look for her, no place to go where they might find her. And everyone's heads were too wrapped in the idea that they all felt emotions that couldn't be explained for a virtual stranger.


	11. Chapter 11

Time ticked by and the tension built till everyone's skin crawled. The room temperature suddenly dropped like a blast freezer had been opened. Everyone turned to Z knowing this deep freeze was his anger cranking out. He lifted his head, his eyes flashing black, and when he realized he was growling he stalked out of the room.

"I'll make sure he doesn't take off," Phury told Wrath as he followed.

The sharp jangle of the phone had everyone jumping and Wrath snatched up the receiver.

"What!"

"She's back, my lord," Fritz's excited voice shot into his ear.

He slammed the phone down and pounded out into the hall. "Phury, Z, she's back," he bellowed as he hit the stairs.

"Where?" Z snapped as Wrath strode past him.

The Brothers followed him into the library. Rio was slowly pushing herself upright on the couch and Wrath snapped out orders as he crossed to her side.

"Vishous, get Doc Jane up here. Phury, get on the phone to John. Get those three idiots back here." Wrath knelt down in the front of Rio just as Doc Jane materialized beside him.

"Wrath," she spoke softly. "Let me check her out then you can have her." She sat down and pulled out a pen light from her sturdy Marcus Welby bag. "How do you feel?" she asked as she shone the light in first one eye then the other.

"I'm not sure," Rio answered, clearing her voice of the hoarseness. "I don't hurt anywhere. And I mean everything's gone. From the fights, all of it."

Jane picked up her hand noting the absent bandage as well as the absence of any wounds. She gently prodded Rio's rib cage then ran her fingers up her spine.

"Nothing?"

Rio shrugged and shook her head. "Nope. It's like none of it happened."

Doc Jane sat back and looked at Wrath with a shake of her head. "She's fine, as far as I can tell. Every injury she had is gone and she's got no new ones."

There was a flurry of noise from the foyer, first one beep then a second followed by a gong sound. Fritz ran by to open the door and seconds later hard boots pounded across the mosaic tile. John, Qhuinn and Blaylock burst into the room.

 _Are you ok? Did he hurt you? Where did he take you?_ John's fingers flew as he dropped in front of her.

Qhuinn and Blaylock landed on the couch on either side of her, their hands skimming over her as if to make sure themselves she was alright.

"Slow down, guys, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me and I have no idea where I was, how I got there or how I got back."

Qhuinn shot a glare at Wrath. "What the hell are we gonna do about this? That freak can't be allowed near her again."

Despite Wrath's agreement with that assessment, you didn't order the king to do anything, especially in his house, and the growl that rolled out of him was filled with threat.

Rio gripped Qhuinn's hand tight. "Please, no fighting. Qhuinn, shut up before you get fried. I couldn't deal with lightning bolts or anything right now."

"We don't do lightning bolts," Wrath growled holding up a huge fist. "But I can definitely come up with thunder."

"Qhuinn, shut up. Thunder is too loud right now."

"Rio, what happened?" Wrath looked at her.

"I don't know. When I looked at him I couldn't breathe. Then I heard bells. And chiming. And silver water running over stones." She looked up, her eyes touching each person in the room, and smiled tiredly at the shock and confusion on every face. "I know that sounds like insanity but I can't explain it any clearer. I heard his voice in my head but no words. And all I could smell was sunlight and fresh air. Fresh air so pure and clear I wanted to cry. I overloaded."

"And passed out," Blaylock said.

She nodded. "When he came back for me, I could feel myself sinking into that light of his and I've never felt safer, more… finished… in my life." 

"Finished?" Wrath frowned.

She looked up at him. "Complete."

"I need to work, Wrath."

First Meal was over and Rio faced Wrath across the desk in his study. He leaned back in his chair and tossed down the magnifying glass he used to read.

"Xhex gave you a couple of nights off," he reminded her. "This is only the first one."

"That was because I was hurt. I'm not anymore and I can't just sit around here doing squat."

He looked slowly over his desk at the piles of papers.

"You've done office shit. I could use help getting this mess sorted. And you could put it all into the computer for me."

She laughed, a short, hard shot of sound. "Come on, Wrath. You don't need a damn secretary."

"Not a secretary." He looked at her. "You don't have to answer phones or anything. Just type and file."

"Ah, the Good Lord spare me from smart-asses," she groaned. "You don't need that, either. Wrath, I'm security. I'm good at it. And I need to get back at it. I'm itchy. I need a workout."

"Then go down to the gym," his voice hardened.

She shot to her feet.

"Fuck you, Wrath," she ground out. "You're not _my_ king. You don't give _me_ orders."

His growl was low and the blast of heat that hit her felt like being in front of a gas well blowout. "Under my roof I do."

Her hard eyes held his and she didn't back down. "I still have a roof out there. This one's only temporary."

The silence held between them for seconds then he cursed loudly and rubbed his forehead. "Goddamn it, Rio, don't push this. You know you can't go back there."

"Let me go, Wrath. You know I'm as safe at the club as I am here. I mean, if you can't trust my ability to take care of myself that place is full of people I'm sure you do trust."

"It's not your ability I don't trust, Rio," he said, the weariness welling up in him. "Sit down, damn it."

She paced in front of his desk instead, her hands clenching and opening as she fought to bring her frustration under control. Finally she dropped into the chair and crossed her arms tight over her chest.

"You have a lot of ability," he said. "And skills. But you're human and so you have no strength. Or the ability to heal as a vampire does." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to protest.

"Hear me out before you go ballistic. I'm talking about species strength here. The vampire species has incredible physical strength. I know Rhage can pump 575 lbs on a barbell and V can pull around 250 on a dumbbell. And that's not just for one lift only. And when we get hurt in the field all but the most serious wounds can heal in hours, usually overnight. _Lessers_ carry the same kind of strength. No human can stand up to that no matter how ace their skills.

  
"They want you, Rio. And if they get you and you've got no backup, I don't even want to consider what they'll do to you. The civilians they torture go through a hell you can't even contemplate and you wouldn't be able to take half of it."

She looked at him, her gaze steady, and took a deep breath before pulling the trigger. "Butch did and he was still human."

His curse lit off the fuse he'd been trying to control. "Cheap shot, Rio! Even in the human world, men can usually take more than women."

"Yeah, come back and tell me that after giving birth to a fifteen pound ham with no freezing. My friend's old man couldn't even watch it without hitting the floor and he was no lightweight."

Wrath ripped off his wraparounds and scrubbed at his eyes. She felt the heat build in him and threw up her hands before the explosion hit.

"Ok, ok, I get what you're trying to tell me. But what am I going to do, Wrath? This place has already got one pet. And I never did like getting scratched behind my ears."

"What about Lassiter?" he asked softly.

"What about Lassiter?" she shot back.

"How do you think he's going to take it while you wander around out there with a _come-and-get-me_ sign slapped on your ass."

She heaved a sigh. "First of all, I don't plan on wandering around. Secondly, the only thing that better be slapped on my ass is somebody's hand."

He couldn't stop the grin that hit up his face and he shook his head until she started talking again.

"And finally, I don't think Lassiter's got anything to say about any of this."

"You've got your head up your ass if you believe that, Rio," he told her softly. "You know damn well what he was doing when he came for you. Hell, there's no love lost between that GE power plant and the Brotherhood. There's a lot of history between us, not much of it good. But there was no mistaking what he was doing and I can understand it. And respect it."

Rio tried to clamp down on the tremor that started rolling through her. She didn't succeed worth a shit.

"What was he doing?" she whispered.

"Staking his claim."

Rio closed her eyes and thought about being in the white. She felt the cool touch on her skin again and remembered the heat that swept through her like a blush. Like a hot wind. Like the center of the sun.

Wrath watched her tremble. Watched as the vibration built, grab her body and shake her like dog with a bone. He nodded as she tightened down and wrestled that vibration under control.

"I'm going to work, Wrath." She opened her eyes. "And Lassiter won't stop me."

"You know this," he asked flatly and she nodded.

"I know this."

He threw up his hands. "Alright, you go to work. But you go with a Brother and you come home with a Brother. And I don't want to hear a goddamn word out of you about it."

"Good enough. But you tell those shitheads that if they're gonna hang around drinking, which I know they do cos it's their hangout, they drink and they stay the fuck out of my face. They're there to pour back the booze, not to monitor my whereabouts. I can't do my job when they're hanging over me like a fucking mother hen every time some asshole gets in my grille. Can you do that for me?"

Wrath stared at her for so long Rio thought she'd have to repeat the question when he finally grinned at her.

"You are one hard-ass. For a human woman."

"Well, thanks, my lord, but I'm getting real tired of hearing about my poor gene pool. Any way you can check me out like you did with Butch, just to see if I've got any vamp blood somewhere in my past? I'm starting to get a complex about low I am on the evolutionary scale."

He roared, his laughter thundering around the room, and waved her out. Then he snapped open his cell. "Qhuinn, grab John and meet Rio in the garage. You're taking her to the club. Yeah, she's going to work."

"Thanks, Wrath," her gratitude clear as she dialed up Xhex with the heads up.

True to his word, Wrath instructed Qhuinn and John to walk Rio into the club. Rehv's office door popped open as she passed it and she caught the look exchanged between the huge mohawked vampire and her two bodyguards. They waved at her as they turned to head out and she slanted a glance at her boss.

"What the hell was that look for?"

He chuckled, a low, evil sound, but his magnificent eyes sparked hard like flint as he looked down at her. "That's between me and your boys. When you're ready to hit the floor, see Xhex in her office."

"Ah, shit," she grumbled, dropping her voice low. "Wrath has been beakin' off, hasn't he. You know, for all the lip about how hard-core you all are, you're worse than a bunch of old ladies, always worrying and fussing around. Christ, it's enough to give anyone the scratch."

Rehv laughed hard and gave her a light push toward the staff lounge. She shot her middle finger up over her shoulder as she walked away, his laughter still following her.

"I'll tell him you said that," he called out.

"I'm sure he already knows," she snapped back. "This one's for you."

Rio leaned back on her chair and stretched her legs out across the one she'd pulled in front of her. The first half of her shift was over and had gone pretty good. She hadn't had much shit to deal with and she wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not. With all the crap that had been coming down in the last week her nerves were jumping like cables in a high wind and she didn't realize till now how badly she had been looking forward to a workout. She was itching to put her newly healed fists to work on more than the compound's gym bags. And didn't that say something about how nasty she was.

She looked up as Xhex came in and immediately pulled her legs off the chair.

"No, stay put." Xhex waved her back. She grabbed one from along the wall. "How's it going tonight?"

Rio shrugged. "You've been out there. You've seen me. You tell me. Am I doing ok?"

"You're doing great but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh, Christ, not you, too!" Rio groaned. "Is there anyone in this city who Wrath hasn't spoken to? I'm starting to feel like I'm back in sixth grade and need to be watched because I got caught out in the field with some guy."

Xhex laughed, her eyes throwing sparks. "Did you?"

"What, get caught in the field?" When Xhex nodded Rio smirked. "Actually, I think it was the eighth grade. And we never got caught. He found an abandoned sewer drain pipe that had been sealed at the bottom. He covered the bottom with straw and that was where he took all the girls. I don't think anybody ever knew about it." She looked at Xhex and laughed out loud. "Except all the girls, of course."

Their laughter faded and Rio knew the other female wasn't done. She looked at the ceiling and heaved a huge sigh.

"I don't know where he took me. It was all white with no sense of touch, like I was existing outside of anything… corporeal. Of time. I was floating, on my back, and then there were no clothes and then a cool touch."

Xhex shot her a sharp look but she kept silent and waited. Rio's chest rose and fell rapidly, her breathing coming fast. Agitated.

"Then heat. All over but more –" she broke off, her lips parting.

She felt a touch at the front of her mind, a light prodding. Someone trying to get in. She looked at Xhex, her eyes glacial. "Don't take. Ask."

Xhex's eyes darkened in shock, then regret washed through them and she inclined her head in apology. Rio breathed in slowly then eased back in her chair and closed her eyes.

And opened up.


	12. Chapter 12

It felt the way light fingers on her skin might feel. And she knew the instant the memory had been accessed. Digging a little deeper, like hands gripping something firmly, lifting and then Xhex gasped.

Rio immediately smelled fresh air, sunlight, and felt the heat sweep through her again. As Xhex lived the memory in her mind, Rio relived it in her body. As the tremors wracked her, the flood of moisture soaked her jeans and she threw her hand out on the table. Xhex grabbed on instantly and the two women, joined together in mind and body, held onto each other as an explosion that each had only felt once before tore them apart.

The white was gone to black. The black was gone to nothing. And as they both came back to here and now, each heard the echo of a name whispered by the other.

Chest heaving, Xhex opened her eyes to see only the masculine beauty of the face she ached for every night. The brilliant deep blue eyes that stole every breath from her lungs, the strong jaw and thick dark hair that her hands ached to touch. John Matthew.

Rio smelled pure fresh air and sunlight. And saw sterling silver eyes blazing out of a face too beautiful to look at. On a body too perfect to touch.

"Fuck, how do you live with that?" Xhex broke off, struggling to her feet.

Rio leaned forward and scrubbed at her face. "I wouldn't go out there if I were you. He's probably out there by now." She looked up at the security head and saw her face break open. "When are you going to stop fighting that?" she raised her chin to the female.

Xhex looked at her for a moment then shut her eyes and shook her head. Rio sighed and pulled herself up, following Xhex out to the club.

Rhage and Tohrment showed just before four o'clock to pick Rio up. Both men exchanged nods with Rehvenge and Rio banged her hand on a table as she strode past them.

"Hey!" she cried out. "Cut that shit out. You want to know something, ask me. Otherwise I'm gonna start thinking there's a whole other thing going on here, you feel me?"

She waggled her eyebrows at the men, her eyes sliding insolently up and down the big, hard bodies. As she passed i-Am the huge Moor stuck out his clenched fist. Rehvenge watched in shock as Rio pounded knuckles with the Shadow and when the corner of his mouth twitched the huge vampire choked out a cough. The only emotion the Moor ever showed never went beyond his black eyes and Rehv couldn't believe the almost-smile he'd just seen.

Rio returned, pulling on her leather jacket and stopped in front of the two Brothers waiting for her. "So, you guys all done sizing each other up for smoking jackets or do I need to pull out the tape measure?"

Xhex grinned while Rehv's hard laugh cracked through the room and Rio turned to him, her eyebrows raised.

"I don't know what the hell you're laughing at," she told him coolly. "There's a smoking jacket somewhere in there for you too, you know."

She heard a loud growl and shrieked as she was scooped off the floor.

"What the hell!" she yelled as Tohr threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and strode to the door.

"Goodnight, Rio," Rehvenge called out to her as Rhage pushed open the exit.

"Whoa," she griped as the Escalade door closed and Rhage stepped on the gas. "You know, for a guy who's still working on bringing back his traps and biceps that was pretty impressive. And kind of pushy, too."

"It's only pushy for females who don't know when to stop talking," Tohr said smoothly.

"Ha! But it wouldn't matter if I wasn't talking the truth," she blurted, bouncing against the seat in mock agitation.

Rhage looked at Tohr, the _I-can't-believe-this-shit_ all over his face. "Who does she remind you of?"

"Lassiter," the Brother responded with no hesitation.

"Exactly."

Rio gasped. "I can't believe you said that. Lassiter. Where is he, by the way? I think he and I need to exchange a few words."

The Brothers traded smiles and Rio jumped on it. "Oh, no, no smiling like there's something. No, uh uh."

She lapsed into silent as the teasing and jabs were shut off like the flick of a switch. She dug her fingers into her stomach as her insides twisted in fear, her confidence and strength collapsing in on itself.

"Was he with you tonight, Tohr?" she asked barely above a whisper.

"Yes," he answered gently.

"Did… did he say anything?" She was afraid of the answer.

"He didn't speak all night." He was silent for a while. "He looked like hell. Lost. Worse than me."

Rio squeezed her eyes shut and breathed slowly.

The household was sitting down to Last Meal as they walked through the foyer.

"Are you eating?" Rhage asked as she headed for the stairs.

"I gotta get rid of my shit first," she murmured, not sure if she would come back down or not.

She ran up the staircase and down to her room. She threw her jacket into the closet then turned on the shower while she stripped. The shampoo and scrub went down fast. She had no interest in hanging around under that waterfall when all she wanted to do was tear her skin off in strips. What the hell was going on and how long was it going on for?

She felt a lot like this once before and she didn't like it then either. She threw herself down on the bed, her arm flung over her face. The minute her eyes closed pictures started coming at her. Places, events, sounds of a time in her life she did not want to revisit. One face kept coming out of the many.

"No," she said, the word harsh, hoarse. "No."

One face. Dark hair brushing broad shoulders. Deep blue eyes. Eyes that could turn into a storm at sea when angry, like blue-gray whitecaps. Or lighten with laughter to a lagoon in the sunlight, sparkles dancing over the surface.

"Jace!" her voice broke and she was instantly sucked down, the pain cutting through her. "Where are you?"

She curled onto her side, every muscle a twisted knot of agony, and twisting her fists in her hair she pushed her face into her pillow and shrieked. He'd disappeared over two years ago, no sign, no word, and it had almost killed her. He'd always been there, following her through every move she'd made, holding her up, backing her up, loving her. Then he'd gone to help out a friend and never came back. His friend said he'd left for home but Rio never saw him again.

She'd loved him as fiercely as he'd loved her and she barely made it through his disappearance. And here she was again feeling like her insides were being torn from her. And Lassiter had brought with him a ghost she thought had been buried.

Fresh air. Sunlight. Heat.

"No!" she cried out, her fingers twisting in the comforter. "Not again."

The knock was quick, light. When there was no response it came again, a little harder.

"Rio?" Beth called. "Are you alright? Are you coming to eat?"

Silence. The door opening slowly, just a crack. Then wider.

"Wrath!"

Her eyes were wide open, surrounded again by the white. She thought she moved her arms but with no sensation she couldn't be sure. She didn't know how long she drifted but as she started to feel panicky without any sense of reality to ground her she gasped as warmth touched her ankle. A slide up her leg. No sense of what was touching her, just a heat that tingled and pulsed gently over her skin. As it reached her knee there was a second touch, her other leg this time. Her breath caught as she felt the same light touch on her neck sliding slowly down her shoulders, her arms, to her wrists.

The tingling on her legs moved higher. She was being caressed yet there were no hands on her. When she touched the warmth she could only feel her own skin under her fingertips. Yet it moved, up her legs and down her chest like a lover's hands stroking her slowly.

Rio felt arousal sweep through her and trembled. She remembered the feel of Lassiter's arms around her the last time he'd come to her, the safety in his strength as he'd cradled her to him. She'd been unable to stop herself from sliding her arms around his neck and as she'd felt her body losing its form he'd pressed his lips to her hair. Now, as this heat slid over her body, she thought of his hands again. Of the same feeling as this sensation searing her skin and melting her bones.

She could feel the warmth now sliding over her thighs. Suddenly there were fingers and palms gripping her. She still saw nothing but the white but as the unseen hands thrust her thighs apart, unseen hands closed over her breasts. Her back arched and she cried out as a mouth covered her core.

She screamed as she was worked. A tongue slid up her folds then thrust deep into her heat while hands caressed her breasts and fingers tugged and rolled her hard nipples between them. She bucked under the onslaught, fire racing through her veins until she thought she'd go crazy from the pleasure. She'd never felt anything like this as her hips were lifted and a hot mouth drank from her. She reached out but still felt nothing but her own skin and she screamed his name, begging.

"Lassiter! Please!"

And then he was thrusting into her and she screamed again, her orgasm exploding through her. She came apart violently and as she felt a hard thick length pound into her, consciousness faded in and out. Hard arms went around her crushing her to a harder body she couldn't see or touch and she felt a mouth move over her throat, burning her like fire.

He rode her hard, fast, and suddenly his own release roared through her. Another orgasm tore her apart again, ripping a second release from him. She felt her strength drain from her like daylight bleeding away at sunset and she whimpered softly.

"Lassiter, I'm dying."

The raw seduction in his haunting voice burned through her blood like heated drops of silver. "No, Rio, you're finally going to have life."

Rio knew the sun was up when she opened her eyes. The shudders were down over the windows. Good. She needed some sunlight. She caught her breath as she realized she'd been wrapped in sunlight, filled with sunlight. As she shifted her legs she could still feel him.

"Lassiter," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

"Rio?"

She jumped at the voice and turned to see Beth struggling upright in a chair across the room. She rubbed her eyes then stumbled across to the bed.

"Dear Scribe Virgin, are you alright?" She reached out to pull the comforter over the other woman.

Rio nodded, the tears running down her cheeks. She felt hollowed out, shredded, the feeling of being left behind again tearing at her like sharp steel.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice husky with trapped emotion.

"Lassiter took you again. Mary and I have been taking turns in here waiting for you to come back. We wouldn't let Bella come, though. She needed to stay with her young. Zsadist is too… upset right now to take care of Nalla."

"God, this has got to stop." Rio struggled to sit. "He's got everybody wound so tight no one can function properly."

Bella picked up the phone and sent a quick call down to the kitchen. Then she crossed to the closet and brought back a silk robe. "We better get you into this. Wrath will be here any minute."

She'd just settled back on the bed, the comforter pulled over her legs, when there was a heavy pounding on the door. With a quick check behind her Beth went to let her  _hellren_  in. Rio caught a glimpse of people outside as the door swung shut and she knew Wrath had left everyone pacing in the hall.

"What the hell did he do to you?" he took one look at her and demanded with a snarl.

"It's not so much what he did to me," she explained, her voice cracking, "as what these emotions are doing to me. I told you I couldn't be that vulnerable again. He's tearing down all the walls in me, the ones that protect me. What I feel when he's gone, when he leaves me, is bringing back shit that I thought I'd buried. Shit that's tearing me apart all over again. And I can't go there. It hurts too much."

She lost the fight for control and as the sobs tore from her Beth pulled her close.

"Lassiter, you fucking shit!" Wrath threw back his head and roared. "Get your goddamn useless ass down here and fix this mess you made. You're killing her!"

Rio heard pounding on the door and the murmur as Beth and Wrath talked as she lay cradled in the queen's arms. Wrath left and she heard angry voices in the hall demanding answers. Then silence closed in and Beth and her were alone.

"What is he making you feel?" Beth asked softly, brushing the hair from Rio's face.

"Beth, don't ask, please."

"It's never going to stop hurting till you let it out."

"I know that's what the psychology jockeys tell everyone but in this case, there's too much at stake and believe me. This pain gets worse when it gets out."

A soft knock had the queen crossing to the door. When she came back, Mary was close behind.

Right. Wrath had talked to Mary.

In her human life, Mary had worked with autistic children and their families, as well as volunteering at a suicide hotline. And in this life, she worked at Safe Place, Marissa's house for female vampires and their young who needed shelter from abusive _hellrens_. It didn't happen often but there was a need. Obviously Wrath was hoping her training would be useful in getting Rio to open up.

Mary talked. Beth talked. Rio would not talk. Mary tried different angles but Rio dug her heels in and would not open up.

"You said Lassiter makes you feel complete but that scares you because it also makes you feel too vulnerable. That you can't go there again." Mary tried once more. "What does that mean?"

"Damn it, Mary, why is this so fucking important? It's not like it's gonna make a damn bit of different in whatever's happening with Lassiter."

"Ok, what is happening with Lassiter? Wrath says he's staking a claim on you. Is he?"

"It feels like it when I'm with him," she admitted. "But I don't know. Because even when I'm with him, I'm not. I mean, he's not there physically. I feel his touch but there's no body. I'm alone in a white space with no feeling of anything solid around. Nothing I can touch. But then I feel him. And he has spoken to me. But then when I end up back here, I feel like everything's been ripped away from me again and I'm back to being alone. How is that claiming anything?

"And besides, how the hell can a fallen angel make a claim of any kind? Isn't he supposed to be working his way back into heaven? Wasn't that the deal with Tohr, why he had to come here with Tohr? Tohr said Lassiter told everyone this was his last chance. So how am I even involved in this?"

She sagged back against the pillows and lost the tempo of her building anger. The fight bled away from her, leaving her raw and torn.

"After he rips away any feeling of belonging when he leaves me here alone, it's a fresh fight all over again to wall up the shit his leaving digs up. Because that's what it was all about. Losing everything that had grounded me. The source of my life. Just like Lassiter has become. And it's a whole lot more powerful with Lassiter."

Rio slid down on the bed, her eyes closing, her body limp with exhaustion. When they were finally sure the woman was asleep, Beth and Mary left the room quietly and Beth went looking for Wrath.

"She's out," she told him with a sigh, pulling a chair up beside his desk.

"Did she talk?"

"Some but she still hasn't said anything. Other than she's fighting something from her past. Something that's being brought out by the feelings she has every time Lassiter brings her back and leaves her alone."

"You know, that fucking angel has been begging for a beating for a long fucking time. I think the next time he shows up with Tohr I'm just going to have to give it to him. And I know I'd have company, not that I'm going to need the help."

"You can't do that, Wrath. She loves him and that would hurt her too much." Wrath shot a glare at her but she just shrugged it off. "She said he's become the source of her life."

"Ah, hell," he growled, sweeping a pile of papers off his desk in a fit of _pissed-off_. "Let's go to bed. I need some sleep. And if I don't shut this shit off for awhile more than just my head's going to explode."


	13. Chapter 13

Rio woke just as the shutters were sliding up, opening the windows to the night. So much for getting some sun. She was done playing games.

Tohr was still working out, trying to rebuild himself so he could get back into life. Even if it was only to exact vengeance for his _shellan_ in a way that meant stacking up a lot of death around him. And that meant Lassiter had to be around.

She was going to find him.

She showered and dressed in record time and headed downstairs. She could hear the household in the dining room at First Meal but she had other plans and they didn't include roast lamb. She wasn't sure why she did it but she stood still at the bottom of the stairs and closed her eyes. Then she reached out. From the inside. She let her emotions stretch out, tried to tap into that surge of energy. That connection.

She smelled fresh air and sunlight but not with her nose. She smelled it inside her and felt the pull and she knew where to go.

She opened the door under the stairs and made her way down a long tunnel. Pushing open the hidden entrance through the supply closet she stepped into Tohr's office and then out to another the tunnel leading to the training area, gym and PT rooms. She looked through room after empty room finding nothing but silence and hollow echoes but she knew he was here. She could feel him.

She stopped in the PT room and sighed in defeat. Leaning against a gurney she closed her eyes and spoke his name, like a talisman, hoping for… what?

"Lassiter, please."

He was there. Behind her. She opened her eyes and saw his radiance reflected off the metal door of the supply cabinet. She drew him in with a huge breath; all heat and fresh air and sunlight.

"You've got to stop doing this, Lassiter. You're making everyone crazy and nobody can focus on what's important."

"You're important."

"So is fighting this war and that's what the Brothers need to be doing, not babysitting me."

She fell silent, thinking about white and heat and the scent of sunlight that got stronger, more potent, whenever she was with him.

"Why do you keep leaving me behind?" she asked softly, unable to control the tremor in her voice.

He came up behind her and as his arms went around her waist she dropped her head back against his hard chest.

"Because I don't know if I'm allowed to have you yet and I can't bear to actually see you be taken from me."

"Why don't you know if you can have me yet?"

"You're not done with the other and He wants that finished first. And I don't know if I'm to be granted my greatest need."

"What is your greatest need?" Rio whispered, terrified of the answer.

"You."

His gorgeous voice poured through her like music and love and she felt whole. He turned her in his arms and as his stunning beauty filled her vision she didn't know how she could hold that much radiance within her.

She closed her eyes as his mouth came down on hers and he opened her to everything. With a cry against his lips, her legs gave out and he swept her up in his arms. He laid her on the gurney and without leaving her mouth he mounted her. She molded to him like her body had been formed just for his and as his fingers bunched in her hair her back arched against him.

Lassiter slid his arms around her and instantly she felt heated skin moving against her. He had willed away her clothes with his and nothing separated them from his growing desire for her. She felt liquid heat rush to a single point between her legs and as his hand found her core she cried out again, pushing against him.

"Lassiter, please," she begging, arching into him, trying desperately to find the release she craved.

He murmured against her throat. "Not yet, my life. There is so much more I want you to have before I take you. You are so beautiful. I have to taste you, everywhere."

He slid his mouth down her throat, biting and sucking as he did. Down her shoulder, to the swell of her breast and as he caught a hard nipple and drew it into his mouth, she moaned, her skin flushing. She wound her fingers into his long soft hair and pulled him tight to her.

Lassiter slid an arm under her, lifting her hips up and his other hand went to her core. He plunged his fingers into her heat, the moisture pouring over him. Rio wrapped her arms around him, her nails raking his back, drawing a ragged curse from him and he thrust into her harder. She reached down and pushed her hand between them to wrap around his hard, throbbing cock.

 _"Fuuuck,"_ he groaned, his hips kicking as she slid a long stroke over his hard shaft. "I need to be in you so bad but not yet."

He jackknifed his body and shoved her thighs apart and dove into her core. Rio screamed as he swept a long stroke up her slit, his tongue flicking her clit as he reached the top.

"God, sweet honey," he breathed. "I need that down my throat."

Again and again, his tongue lapped at her, flicking at her swollen clit, stabbing deep into her sheath, his mouth sucking her folds into him. It was an assault, a hard-core claiming, all male dominance and possession. She would know when he was finished who she belonged to. He would make sure of that.

Rio felt everything in her gather like a storm sweeping in and as his tongue thrust deep again, everything clamped down then flew apart. She screamed again as she came hard. While spasms rolled through her like an earthquake, Lassiter rose over her and grabbing his pounding cock in one hand, he lined himself up at her core and thrust. In a single push he sank all the way into her.

Her heat grabbed him like a fist and with three powerful pumps he released into her. He burned like lava and Rio felt him searing her all the way to her womb. She couldn't scream again. She had no voice left. She just dug her fingers into his hips as he rode her hard right through his orgasm. His mouth took hers again as he pounded into her and when he could hold the contact no longer he dropped his head into her shoulder, pinned her hips and ravaged her.

That was the only word for what he did to her body and Rio wept as the passion pushed her to the edge of consciousness. The heat cranked up inside her again as he drove into her faster, his movements tight, the range shortened as his release raced through his body. He felt the small of his back tighten as the wave rode over him. He pulled almost completely out and sank all the way back in; one, twice, three times and felt his release blast up his cock. As it exploded through her he took her over the top again and she held on to him as her hips bucked and her muscles clenched him till he felt like he was strangling.

Lassiter pulled her arms from him and twisting his fingers through hers stretched her out over her head. His weight pinned her to the gurney but all Rio felt was his heat blanketing her. He found her mouth again, his lips soft but demanding. Taking from her everything he wanted. Her lips parted as he stroked her and his tongue went right to hers, tasting her sweetness.

As he drugged her senses, Rio found herself rocking under him. She didn't know when she'd started, she just knew she couldn't stop. Lassiter didn't move. He let his weight push into her, holding her prisoner against the crisp sheet but nothing else. Rio fought the inertia, trying desperately to create the movement in him she craved. She moaned deeply against his mouth and when he wouldn't release her she bit his bottom lip.

"That's it," he growled. "Take what you need. Let me serve you by submitting."

She looked into his blazing white eyes. He had no pupils. No way to express easily what was going on inside him. She could only judge his feelings, his needs, by the brightness of that white and the darkening of the bright blue ring around his irises. She saw the deep navy now, almost a black, and knew his arousal.

"Get off me," she commanded.

He pulled from her immediately, rising to his knees and waiting. She watched the hard rise and fall of his chest. Her eyes slid slowly down his body with hard deliberation. Her gaze locked on his erection, his huge cock thrusting out from his hips. Her eyes ran over his powerful thighs and she skimmed a finger slowly down the trembling muscles.

She slid lower on the gurney, her body between his legs, her eyes locked on his. The trembling in his thighs spread upward as he watched her and he clenched his hands. She stopped.

"Move higher," she ordered, silky but strong.

With a groan he pulled his body further up the gurney till his knees were on either side of her chest. Rio caught his tight forearms, urging him forward.

"Fists on the bed," she ordered.

As Lassiter's eyes widened he dropped forward, his fists hitting the gurney hard. At the same time, Rio grabbed his cock with one hand, sank her nails into his ass with the other and pulled him in. She lifted her head and he fell into the heat of her mouth.

"Rio! Oh sweet… Jesus!" he cried out hoarsely, his head kicking back as his hips thrust uncontrollably.

Lassiter had never been human. Always an angel, he'd never experienced physical love for himself, though he'd watched species over the millennium wrap themselves in the beauty of the act. Now, here with this woman, he breathed in the smells. He sank into the sensations he'd only dreamed about, never coming close to the reality. He was turned inside out by wave after wave of raw feeling tearing at him like wild animals in a frenzy.

He lost control of his hips as Rio sucked him in hard. Her tongue ran up his shaft, bottom to tip, over and over, before her lips closed tight over the head. As her tongue found that sensitive spot under the crest, she hummed and the vibration ripped through him like a lightning strike.

"Rio! What are you doing?" he shouted, his cock kicking so hard she lost her contact briefly. "You're killing me."

"Not yet," she murmured before pulling him in again, this time all the way to the base.

Lassiter grabbed the sheet, bunching the cloth into his fists as he clamped down on his muscles and thrust. He couldn't see how he wasn't choking her but suddenly he felt her throat open and she swallowed him.

"Oh, fuck, what are you doing, sweet Jesus don't stop…" he groaned as she cupped his sac, rolling his balls gently as her throat squeezed his shaft tight.

He dropped his head and his eyes locked on hers. He moved one hand directly over her head, shifting his center of balance and grabbed a handful of her hair with his other fist. She saw his eyes blaze like the sun exploding and he bared his teeth in a snarl. As he sank into the exquisite agony burning through him, he threw away his control. Power surged and as he drove himself into her he took her into his light.

Rio saw the radiance rising around them as he thrust his cock into her mouth. She held him tighter, her tongue flat against his shaft, increasing the suction as she worked him. She knew his release was close by the tightening of his muscles but he pulled himself from her. With a quick flip he dragged her higher and split her wide. As he drove himself deep into her core and she found her voice again, Rio realized they were no longer on the gurney.

He burned like a supernova, his radiance swallowing her completely, and he wrapped himself around her like the air surrounding them. She felt them spinning slowly as he rode her hard and she locked her legs around his lean hips meeting his thrusts with her own fast rhythm.

"Lassiter!" she screamed his name as he exploded deep in her and seconds later she followed him.

She was sinking into him as he helped her ride out her orgasm and she held him tight against her as the golden sunlight blanketing them faded to black.

Rio opened her eyes as voices drifted down the hall outside the PT room. She drew the sheet over her just as three males rounded the corner.

"Rio!"

Blaylock reached the gurney first but not by much. Qhuinn headed for the other side so of course John was stuck at the foot of the cot.

"Are you alright?" Blaylock asked, helping her up, trying to check her out for injuries.

His eyes widened as she slid off the cot holding the sheet to her chest. Unfortunately, that's the only place it stayed and the cool air hit the back of her body. The part that was completely bare to Qhuinn who, in Qhuinn fashion, let out a very satisfied rumble. As Rio tried wrapping her bare assets a little better, John leaned over and nailed his buddy a hard one in the shoulder.

"Hey, I didn't pull it off her," he protested.

 _And that matters why?_ John signed. _A little respect, huh._

"Sorry, Rio," he mumbled, the slight flush of color staining his cheeks so not Qhuinn.

"Not to worry." She waved a hand. "Apparently my mind was not on the sheet."

 _Lassiter again?_ John asked.

She nodded. "But I'm fine, really. Well, except…"

She was looking around, frowning, even checking under the gurney before straightening with a sigh. "Lassiter, where the hell are my clothes?"

All three males took a quick step back as her clothes drifted down to the gurney like autumn leaves. They stared at the jeans and shirt like they might sit up and do tricks. Which, knowing Lassiter's warped sense of humor, was a strong possibility.

"Thank you," Rio called and frowned as she lifted them. "What, no underwear?"

She waited. The three males shifted uncomfortably and watched her waiting.

"Lassiter, I had underwear when I came down here."

The boys looked ready to bolt, as if they expected to be pelted with flying panties and bras. No panties or bras were forthcoming though and Rio turned to the bathroom with a heavy sigh.

"Damn it, Lassiter, this shirt isn't gonna do a damn thing to protect my rep and if these three behind me get any redder they're gonna look sunburned."

Her leather jacket landed on the bed with a muffled thump and Blaylock and Qhuinn jumped in surprise. Rio went back to the bed with a laugh, grabbing up the jacket. She froze for a moment at the males' expressions then burst out laughing again.

"Does this happen often?" Qhuinn asked, waving his hand at the pile of clothes in her arms.

"It hasn't," she shook her head, "but I got a feeling it's going to start."

She turned back to the bathroom, looking up at the ceiling. "What's the point of the jacket, Lassiter? I'm still gonna have to put a bra on when I get upstairs."

She shut the door behind her and Qhuinn choked on a cough when they heard her say thank you. Apparently the bra had arrived.


	14. Chapter 14

The boys were still hanging around when she came out, spread out on benches and chairs, and they shot to their feet as the bathroom door opened.

"You don't have to hang around for me, guys," she told them with raised eyebrows. "I'm fine, really."

They boys exchanged uneasy looks.

"Where did he take you from?" Blaylock asked like he was filing the info for future reference and Rio saw Wrath's hand in the mix.

"Nowhere. I came down here looking for him this time."

She stopped in front of Blay and brought her hand up to his face. She felt his uneasiness but she wouldn't let him drop his eyes. She heard a hiss behind her and without releasing Blaylock's gaze she reached back. Qhuinn caught her hand and she pulled him closer.

"Tell Wrath he doesn't have to worry about me," she said. "I'm ok. Lassiter's ok. Everything is what it is, what it's supposed to be."

She pulled Qhuinn from behind her so he was right in front of Blaylock. Raising the hand she was holding, she laid it against Blay's face. When he tried to step back, his eyes wide in shock, she slid her hand from his cheek to the back of his head, stopping his retreat. Then she looked at Qhuinn.

"Work this out. Now. You're both too important to lose."

"Nobody's losing us," Qhuinn replied.

His tone was gruff, the scent of his retreat filling the air like campfire smoke, acrid and sharp. Yet he kept his hand against Blay's cheek, his caress almost non-existent.

"Oh, yeah?" Rio shot back. "You're both almost memories you're so far from life. I can hardly breathe through the anguish weighing you both down."

She looked at Blaylock. "You. Stop reliving the pain of his words. What the hell, you know he's got a big mouth that he rarely reins in. Hell, he's almost as bad as Rhage with the shit he pops off. And you know he did it because he loves you. He thought he was going to jail for Lash's death. He couldn't bear to have you hurt for him for the rest of your life. Better to hate than mourn."

She ignored his shock and faced Qhuinn, whose face was already closed down.

"And you. Face yourself cos that's where your bullshit comes from. Your past is the past. No more _glymera,_ not they ever really mattered. No more trying to live up to the expectations of people who only cared about what made them look good in the end. You've got this picture in your head about where you think you should end up and you've told yourself that's what you really want. Yet you've admitted that's not likely to happen for a while yet. And you've also admitted that even if you got there, you likely couldn't hold to it. So, can you tell yourself what the point is in spending the next how many years only half alive just to get to something that might not even exist? And then what was the point of cutting him loose," she nodded at Blay, "the way you did to keep him from hurting when it's obvious that experiment was a huge failure?

"Live now, with what's in front of you. You may find this is the future you should be living. And if it changes later, well, that's the time to deal with it. Go into it stronger because of the love you'll both have lived through. That's where true strength comes from."

Qhuinn's voice rasped like gravel, his fear for his best friend ripping his throat raw. "And if it changes, how do I let him go knowing that having been with me for all that time would make the pain harder to deal with?"

His hand tightened on Blay's face and his eyes welled. Blay grabbed Qhuinn's wrist, squeezing hard. His hand trembled and he pulled in a tight breath.

"You can't stop that in the future," Rio leaned close and whispered. "Any more than you can stop it in the present. So stop existing for just that. Live for what can remove the pain right now. Nothing else matters."

She stepped away from them and after a second, Qhuinn stepped into Blay. Blay shuddered, his head dropping forward, and as Qhuinn drew his friend against his chest and wrapped his heavy arms around the other man, Rio turned to John.

"Come on, we're outta here." She grabbed his hand and hauled him out to the hallway.

 _Was that a smart thing to have done?_ He signed as they walked. _There are some very strong emotions there and a lot of other stuff to consider._

"That's exactly why it needed to be done. You know as well as I do that they need each other, no matter what happens in some futuristic world. Does it make sense for anybody to let love of any kind, let alone one as powerful as those two have, be denied just over a _what-if?_ Futures are hidden for a reason and even if they weren't, nothing is written in stone. There are too many variables for that so even if you've got a really kickass crystal ball there's still no guarantee that what you see is what you'll get. So it's sheer lunacy to throw away something that could fill you to overflowing because of a maybe that may never be."

They stepped into the office and John stopped before reaching for the door in the supply shelves. Rio watched his face turn to stone and her eyes narrowed.

"Don't go there."

He shot her a sideways look, his eyes bleeding away life, and Rio grabbed his arm.

"That's a black hole. Don't go there. Life can't exist in a black hole and it's not finished out here yet. Not for you and not for her."

_It's just one more rock piled onto the shit pile of my life. It's crushing me to death._

She ran her eyes up and down his huge hard body. She laid one hand on his biceps, caressing lightly, feeling the shape of his muscles, running her other hand up over his broad, powerful shoulders.

"You didn't always have this body."

She spoke almost absently, her eyes slightly out of focus, drifting. John shook his head, thinking that at this moment she sounded and looked a lot like V did when he was having a vision.

"So you dug your way far enough out of that shit pile to come into this body. And that shit you had to dig through went somewhere. Under you. You climbed out on top of it. So you keep climbing. You use these big, powerful new arms to keep digging holes in that shit and these big, powerful new legs to keep climbing.

"Aim for this. Shit is not forever. It stops eventually, even if only for awhile. Why? Because whoever's shoveling that shit will tire out at some point. And when they do, that's when you make your move."

John bent his head, his face loosening like an avalanche ready to slide. Rio's focus tightened as she watched him. She saw the tumblers rolling, the numbers dropping into place before catching on something. He looked up at her and raised his hands.

_What if the shit is coming from more than one place? Who gets tired then?_

She smiled. "When one stops, you move before the next one starts. There's always a gap in between them while they trade places."

There they go, rolling again. Those tumblers. She knew when the last number fell. His face lit up like the sun, his grin beautiful. He grabbed her around the waist crushing her to him and swung her around. She hung on tight till he set her down and grabbed her hand, pulling her through the door and into the tunnel leading back to the house.

Zsadist came out of the dining room as Rio and John emerged from under the stairs. His quick frown told them exactly what he was thinking and she grinned at the Brother.

"I was having a quick discussion with Lassiter, who was apparently hiding out in the PT room."

The big scarred warrior rolled his lips back in a snarl and growled. "Yeah, well, he can stay down there. Especially if he doesn't want some of those piercings rotated on him."

Rio's laugh bubbled out of her and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, please don't, Zsadist. I really love his piercings right where they are, thank you. Especially the one –"

"Please!" he yelled, throwing up a hand. "I so don't want to hear the rest of that sentence!"

Vishous and Butch poked their heads out of the billiards room at the noise, their eyebrows climbing into their hairlines at the sight of Zsadist scowling at her, his hands on his hips, while she shrieked with laughter.

"Are you sure?" she challenged him.

"Get your shit together," he growled. "I'm taking you to work."

"Oh, crap, I didn't eat!" She ran for the kitchen. "Let me make a quick sandwich."

"Fuck, I gotta get out in the field," he yelled.

"Quit bitching," she yelled back, disappearing through the door. "You're such crab sometimes."

Vishous and Butch looked at each other, disbelief playing _holy-shit_ on their faces.

"Did she just call you a crab?" Butch looked at Z.

Z scowled, staring toward the kitchen. "It's one of the better things she's called me. Bella thinks it's funny."

The _holy-shit_ turned into _holy-hell-what-a-death-wish_ and Butch choked as he tried to keep a laugh inside. Despite the fact that the scarred Brother had mellowed since he'd mated with Bella, it still didn't seem like a good idea to laugh at someone calling him a crab. Or at the admission that his _shellan_ thought that was funny.

Butch disappeared back into the billiards room, obviously losing the battle to stay politely quiet and when Rio raced from the kitchen with a turkey sandwich in her mouth and hit the stairs two at a time, Vishous fired up a hand-rolled and followed his boy.

"You still need to get some of your stuff today?"

Rio turned to the security head as the bartender's last call got the cattle drive rolling. She shook her head slowly. "Yeah, but I have no fucking idea how I'm gonna go about it. Wrath is being bitchy about this. He even came down on the idea that Fritz go with me."

Xhex sucked down a huge breath, her face clamping down like she'd just bit into a bad piece of rat meat or something. "I guess I could go with you."

Rio laughed. "Holy Christ, look at that face! Relax, female. You don't have to stick your neck in that noose. We'd never get there and back in time for any of the Brothers to come get me here before the sun struck anyway. If you're willing to cut me an hour off the start of my shift tomorrow I'm sure I can get one of the boys to take me just after sun down."

"Done." She nodded in relief.

Rio shot Xhex a look from under lowered lids, grinning cheekily. "Boy, you sure must have been one peachy friend growing up." When Xhex threw her a _WTF,_ Rio shrugged. "Well, I mean, all those errands you fell over yourself to do for everyone must have had the neighborhood kids just flocking to your doorstep."

"Fuck you," Xhex snorted inelegantly before shooting a hard look around the club. "The only friends I've ever had are all here in this place."

"Not all of them," Rio said softly, her eyes direct, piercing.

"Not your biz," Xhex ground out, her gunmetal eyes going cold death. "Don't get in my way on this."

Rio shook her head. "There's no room for me in your way. You're taking up too much of that space all on your own."

She turned away to take the last table out the front door, leaving Xhex breathing hard at the top of the VIP steps.

"I wonder where the hell Lassiter was hiding tonight?" Butch grumbled as he pulled up around the corner from Rio's apartment. "I mean, with all his _my-property_ shit he's been throwing around lately, I can't figure out why he made himself absent for this."

He twisted around to shoot a look at Rio. "Not that I mind being chauffeur and mover here," he threw out the reassurance. "I just can't figure out why he'd make himself scarce for protection duty."

"I think he's watching." Rio flashed a faint smile, her eyes shadowed. "From… somewhere."

V crushed out his hand-rolled and popped the door. "Be right back."

Rio rolled her head on her neck as they waited for Vishous to check out her place. Despite her casual dismissal of Lassiter's absence, she was feeling a bit lost without him here. And despite the fact that he wanted her there was something keeping him away for right now. At least, mostly away. A quick flush burned through her when she remembered last night in the PT room.

The passenger door opened and V slid back in. "Let's go. It's looks good but I don't want to wait around for it to change."

Butch shifted into gear and forty-five seconds later, they coasted to a stop in front of her place. V and Butch each palmed a SIG before climbing out of the Escalade, the guns tight against their thighs. One in front, one behind, Rio walked fast between the males, anxious to get inside. Now that she was actually here everything felt off. There was a wrongness to the air like they'd stepped through an unseen barrier into something else. And whatever made its home here was watching her.

Rio breathed a little easier when Vishous closed the door behind them and immediately disappeared through the kitchen. Butch looked around the small place, frowning a little.

"Is any of this yours?" he asked, looking at the furniture.

"No," she called out from a back room. "I move around so much it's easier to always rent furnished."

"So, no furniture, no kitchen shit, nothing?"

"Just clothes and a few personal things." She poked her head into the room and tossed down a stuffed gym bag.

"Alright. Then there's no reason we can't take it all with us."

V turned from the window where he was keeping watch on the front walkway. "Unless she's got more clothes than you. That would require a bigger vehicle."

"Fuck you, buddy. And if I didn't have a full closet, where would you whore your socks from?" He flashed his best friend a grin.

"Now now, ladies." Rio dropped another bag in front of the door. "No chick fighting in my space. It pollutes the ambience."

Butch looked around the room for anything that didn't look anonymous and swooped down on a framed picture sitting on an end table.

"This yours?"

Rio sucked in a hiss and her hand flashed out to snag the photo. She held it tight enough he expected to hear the frame crack and he watched her face shiver apart like shattering crystal.

"Rio?" he asked softly, glancing at Vishous.

The two males watched her fight the slide and they shot unspoken questions back and forth. Her throat worked as she climbed into that picture and hung on. Finally, she pulled in a deep, sharp breath and dropped her arm. Without a word she shoved the picture into one of the bags on the floor.

"Closet?" V asked, trying to turn her focus.

She nodded. He opened the door and passed her the parka hanging there. As she rolled it and made room for it in one of the bags, he noticed a slip of paper on the floor.

"What's this?" He scanned it quickly. "This is yours, Rio. We must have kicked it under the door when we came in."

He handed her the paper and took a step closer to her. Butch frowned at the move then saw the look in V's eyes. He slid in behind her.

Rio looked at the paper in front of her and started shaking. A low sound spilled from her, a single word over and over, and when V saw her eyes widen he took another step closer.

"Rio, talk to me," he murmured, making his voice deliberately calm, soothing.

She started shaking her head, not in refusal but more of a denial of the words in her hand.

"No, no, it can't be, Jace, I thought he was dead, Vishous, he was here he was here looking for me he's coming back I have to stop him - "

Butch stepped in tight, his hands going to her waist while V clamped his hands on either side of her head, cutting off the hysterical onslaught of words. His eyes bored into hers and he started stroking his thumbs over the arteries in her neck.

"Easy, Rio. Slow."

She stopped talking but her shaking didn't. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breathing shallow, and her huge eyes locked onto his. "It's Jace. He was here. Looking for me. After all this time, he was looking for me. He's coming back tomorrow but he can't. He can't."

V kept rubbing his thumbs over her skin, calming her, slowing her down. When her breathing had slowed and the trembling had all but disappeared, he nodded at Butch and they released her and stepped back.

She clutched the paper in her fist and paced the small living room. "I've got to leave him a note telling him where to go. I can't let him keep coming back here trying to find me. Sooner or later, the _lessers'll_ catch him."

"You can't tell him about the compound, Rio. You know he can't come there," Vishous reminded her gently.

"No, not the compound. I know that. But the club. I'll tell him to come to ZeroSum for my shift tomorrow night."

She caught the Brothers' expressions and slumped to a stop.

"Come on, guys, it doesn't matter worth shit if I leave the club's name where those bastards can find it. We all know they won't be coming into the club and they already hang out outside anyway. They hunt down there, for god's sake, so I'm not giving them anything they don't already have. I'm not outside the club without one of you so what does it matter?"

V's eyes cut to Butch who shrugged. "She has a point."

"You know I'm right. And if they catch him here, if he thinks they have anything to do with me not being here, he'll fight. They'll kill him."

V was getting antsy with the time they were spending there. This was taking too long and it was time to go.

"Write your note," he ordered. "It's time to be gone."


	15. Chapter 15

Rio dug a scrap of paper and a pen from her purse and scribbled the info. CLUB ZEROSUM TOMORROW NIGHT 7 PM. DON'T COME BACK HERE.

Vishous checked the walkway then opened the door and stepped out, scanning the area. Rio pulled her knife free and pried up the address numbers on the door just enough to slide the paper securely under them.

"Alright, let's go," she said and reached inside to grab her bags.

Butch slung one bag over his shoulder but Rio kept the other so V's hands were free. They hustled her down the sidewalk and tossed the bags in the back of the SUV. The air in the vehicle was thick with tension as Butch hit the gas. Nobody took a deep breath till they left town and turned onto the mountain road heading up to the compound.

"Who's Jace?" V finally asked as they wound their way through the _mhis_ he'd laid out.

The fog was an illusion created by the vampire and was just one in the multiple layers of protection that surrounded the Brotherhood's training center and home. You couldn't see more than a foot in front of you and anybody trying to get a pinpoint on their location out here would be SOL. What wasn't buried in fog was slightly blurry, like a light mist over glass, and no amount of blinking or wiping their eyes would clear it up.

Rio heaved a sigh that easily carried her pain to the Brothers. "He's somebody who was very important to me. He's been gone for over two years and I thought he was dead."

"How did he find you?"

"Even though I was sure he had to be dead, I guess I always had hope. So every time I moved, I'd pay for a forwarding address. That's how he'd track me if… if he really was still alive."

She heard the rasp of a flint and the car filled with aromatic Turkish tobacco. End of conversation. Not a surprise. What else was there to say?

"Does Lassiter know about him?"

Ok, she thought. Guess there was something more to say. She thought about a conversation in the PT room.

"Not from me. But, yes."

She could almost hear the _what the fuck?_ but this time nobody said a word.

When they got back to the mansion Fritz was enlisted to help carry her shit upstairs and Rio knew it was so Vishous and Butch could 411 Wrath. And really, what the hell difference did it make? Considering how much work it took to drag out how she'd stepped in for that civilian he had to know she wouldn't spill anything now. And the rest of her logic held. Without giving out any secrets. The _lessers_ hunted downtown, especially around Trade Street, and they were not getting into ZeroSum. So what did it matter that she told anyone about the place.

Never mind the fact that ZeroSum was a public place for anybody who wanted in. And not even the king of the race could change that.

She threw her stuff on the bed and headed down stairs to find out who was taking her to work.

Rio looked up at the whistle and saw Xhex standing at the door. Blowing out a ragged sigh, she shook her head in resignation and crossed to the head of the line.

Xhex slipped past the bouncer and grabbing Rio's arm she pulled her several yards down the street. Just far enough so nobody who shouldn't could hear them.

"What the hell are you doing out here? You know better. Christ, Wrath's gonna have a fucking hemorrhage when he hears about this."

"What makes you think he's gonna hear it?" She cranked her head to one side in disgust at the look on the female's face. "For fuck sake's, Xhex, you gonna deal that dirty on me? That's lower than snake oil. And definitely not something I deserve."

"You deserve to get dragged off for slice and dice practice a lot less." Xhex grabbed Rio's arm and steered her back into the club. "And I'm not in a hurry to hear Rehv's point of view if he finds out you're strolling the walkways alone."

"I needed some air. I'd have preferred out back but you'll notice I wasn't that brain dead." Rio gave her a pointed look. "And I tried to stick close to the door for quick getaways if necessary."

Rio followed Xhex back to her office and when the security head had locked the door she dropped into her chair and propped her legs on the desk top.

"What's going on with you tonight? You've been wired since you got here. And while you've handled everything out on the floor fine this stunt outside is amateur shit. Is this more of Lassiter's crap?"

Rio snorted and shook her head. "Why does everyone call it that?"

Xhex popped an eyebrow in derision. "Have you been following recent events?"

Rio laughed, her head rolling back, and she shook her head at the ceiling. "No, this is not Lassiter crap. Which, by the way, is getting sorted out. Semi-sorted out."

Xhex flashed her a _yeah-uh-huh_ and Rio ignored it. She lost her smile as she thought about the note she'd found tonight.

"When the guys and I went for my stuff tonight, we found a note that had been shoved under my door. It's the reason the Lassiter crap has been crap. Without going into more details than I really want to, after every Lassiter visit I found it harder and harder to push back some past shit. The note is a direct pipeline to it."

"What kind of shit?" Xhex asked after Rio didn't continue.

Blowing out another shaky breath Rio looked everywhere but at her boss. "I've got a question of my own first. I need to call Wrath about this. If he agrees to let you and I guess Rehv, too, come back to the compound can you wait till then to get the story?"

Xhex frowned and pulled herself up in her chair. Rio bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes.

"This is going to hurt. So… much," her voice cracked. "And I'm pretty sure I won't be able to go through it twice."

Xhex nodded. "Call. I'll let Rehv know what's going on."

Rio snapped her cell shut and was actually really surprised that Wrath agreed. The king was deadly serious about nobody getting anywhere into the compound who didn't belong. It was obvious looking at all the security and monitoring systems Vishous had set up.

V was in charge of all IT and security issues for the Brotherhood. The main house, the underground training facilities, the Tomb where all Brotherhood rituals were carried out - as well as where the _lessers'_ jars containing their hearts were stored - the connecting tunnels, the Pit where Vishous, Butch and their _shellans_ lived, – this was all part of V's playground.

Cameras, locks, temperature control, steel retractable shutters on all windows. V ran it all from the Four Toys. That's what he called the four computers that tied them all together. The Department of Defense probably had a different name for them. But they had their own toys. These ones were V's.

Rio shut the office door behind her as she headed back to the club floor. Her mind was already jumping ahead to the big revelation and the cold running through her veins threatened to freeze her up where she stood. She ran her hands up and down her arms as she came out into the VIP area, trying to thaw herself enough to get through the rest of the night. Rehv's door opened as she approached. Xhex stepped out, which wasn't a surprise at all, but the big mohawked vampire was right behind her. That was enough to break up Rio's rhythm and she worried that he might decide he didn't want to wait till later to hear the latest.

Rehvenge's hypnotic amethyst eyes pinned her to the floor and Rio's stomach lurched at the knowledge in them. _'Ok, here it is,'_ she thought. This had nothing to do with their upcoming trip to the king's domain. This was about Rehv's domain. More precisely, how she was expected to stay inside that domain.

He stepped to the side and waited for her to walk through the door.

"Well, damn," she muttered. "Do we have to deal with this now?"

He said nothing. Just waited.

Rio sat in front of the desk, leaning her arms on her thighs. She waited till Rehv was in his chair before looking up at him but she was damned if she was going to start. This was his inquisition. Let him throw the first salvo.

He watched her in silence and Rio fought back a sudden smile. So this was how they were going to play it, huh. Not going to happen. Rio had a stubborn streak big enough to choke a horse and as she settled back in the chair she figured now was as good a time as any for Rehv to find that out. She still had a few hours left in her shift. She had time.

Rehv's face slowly lit in a smile as he saw it all in her eyes. He might be a vampire but that was only on his mother's side. Rehv's other side was all _symphath_ and the rush from a power play was better than sex to any _symphath_. But he knew that game was a no contest with a human so he pulled the chains tight around that black side of his nature and reminded himself that as an employee, she was supposed to be safe with him.

"You know why you're here, don't you."

"Yeah, but in my defense I had a good reason and I was being careful."

Rehv leaned forward on the desk and his eyes got hard. "Being careful means being _inside_ the club, get me? I don't want to have to tell you a second time."

"Hard-ass," she grumbled, meeting his stare head on.

"And you don't want to test that," he said softly, the hard edge just skimming over her.

Her eyes narrowed and her attention drifted a bit. Her thoughts were obviously going in a different direction now and Rehvenge wasn't sure he liked where they might be headed.

"Rio? Where are you?"

"I'd mostly decided when I moved to Caldwell that it was time to stop shuffling so much. You know, get some roots while I could still enjoy them. I'm not so sure anymore. It might be time to see what the next town looks like."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked sharply.

"Rehv, there's apparently more working against me here that I would've ever believed possible. I love the place. Even my whole new reality is more a rush than regret but I can't spend my life being someone's oddity on a leash. I won't be a pet and I won't be in jail."

"Rio, you're part of a world now that deals with dangers the human world can't comprehend. Or have to deal with. It's part of being vampire."

"But isn't that just the point?" she cried. "I'm _not_ vampire. If I was, I wouldn't have to… be tied to the inside of every building I enter."

"Every vampire goes through the same thing," he said. "You know the _lessers_ are always hunting us."

"But as it's been pointed out to me very strongly vampires have ways of coping with that which do not extend to me. Such as strength, superior healing capabilities and a very nifty little thing called dematerializing. Which, if you're lucky and quick enough, gets you the hell to safety in ways I'll never see." She took a deep shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. "And now, as you'll find out later tonight, I've got a new consideration which makes leaving Caldwell a pretty desirable goal."

"Don't make that decision yet, Rio," Rehvenge urged tightly. "After all, _lessers_ aren't confined to Caldwell."

"I have no doubts about that but didn't they follow the Brotherhood when they moved here from the Old Country?" Rio said, referring to details of the history she'd heard from Doc Jane. Rehv nodded. "Well, if the Brotherhood is all here then the likelihood of any _lessers_ being anywhere I end up is probably pretty low."

"Just wait, Rio. Don't be so quick to jump off that bridge. You haven't been caught in this that long yet. Give it some more time."

Rio shot him a doubtful look. "Well, this conversation is starting to look like it's doubling back on itself so I think I'm going back to work." She got to the door before he spoke.

"Inside, remember?"

"Careful, boss." She opened the door without turning around. "That sure sounds like a second time to me."

She heard what sounded suspiciously like his granite paperweight hitting the door behind her and she threw back her head and laughed.

Rhage showed up in the Mercedes just before closing to pick the three of them up. He called Rio to let her know where he was and Trez stuck his head out into the alley to make sure the way was clear.

Xhex was edgy that they were leaving so early. She always made sure all the tills and the security tapes were locked up and Rally's scale room was secured before she left. But tonight she had to leave those details to Trez and iAm since they didn't have a lot of time before sunrise. Her and Rehvenge needed to be driven in and out of the compound. Once they were brought back to the edge of Caldwell they could dematerialize home but without knowing the exact location of the mansion they had to rely on a Brother to get them in and out.

The closer they got to the gates the tighter Rio wound. Ever since she read Jace's note she'd been fighting hard to keep her emotions in check. Now it was almost time to spill it all and she wasn't sure she could handle it. Unfortunately, Wrath wasn't going to give her that option.

Leaving her two bosses in Rhage's hands as they stepped into the magnificent grand foyer, she raced upstairs. She was not going to sit down to this horror show without taking a hot shower first. She knew it was the coward's way to avoid the big moment but tough. She was taking it.

As soon as she hit the bottom of the stairs she knew immediately where everyone was despite the silence. Sometimes you didn't have to ask the question to get the answer. She headed for the billiards room.

Everyone was there, scattered around the room, drinks in hand, but Rio's eyes were on only one person. Lassiter was leaning against the wall beside the French doors to the back lawn, arms crossed over his massive chest, strong legs crossed at the ankles. He straightened immediately and the glow surrounding him flared briefly as his eyes locked down on her.

The small tremor that had been fluttering in her stomach now became a full grown seismic event. The shaking battered her so hard she could barely move. Lassiter crossed the room in four steps and caught her to his huge body. Rio buried her face in his chest, her fingers twisting in his t-shirt, just breathing in his beautiful scent. He held her till the shaking settled back into a slight tremor before leading her to a wing chair facing into the room. When she was seated he moved behind her, his hands curled around the nape of her neck, his fingertips resting gently against the pulse beating rapidly in her throat.

As she looked at all the faces turned in her direction, all the eyes staring at her, she faltered. Her breathing turned ragged and her heart skipped a beat. Immediately, Lassiter slid his fingers slowly, gently, over the pulse now hammering against her damp skin; soothing, calming.

"Easy, Rio," Wrath spoke gently, his voice low. "Don't let this crowd fuck you up. You know we're all just worried about you. Hell, we didn't even hit Lassiter for making you cry and you know we've all wanted to hammer that asshole into the ground forever."

Rio laughed softly at that and swiped at the tears that caught her off guard. She hadn't realized she was that far gone yet. "Alright, let's get this over with. I hate getting waterlogged but I know it's coming."

She took a deep breath and looked up in surprise as Blay stood in front of her with a glass. She could smell the vodka as she took it and she nodded her thanks. "I've been hanging around you guys too long when I don't even have to ask."

Blay smiled and as he crossed back to the couch she took another deep breath and a quick drink of the Grey Goose.

"Alright, enough stalling. His name is Jace Bennett, he's been the only constant in my life since I was a kid, and I thought he was dead."


	16. Chapter 16

She heard several quick intakes of breath but she gritted her teeth and kept her head down. Lassiter's hands tightened a little, holding her up, keeping her going.

"I take it he's not?" Wrath asked.

"No." She shook her head. "We found a note when we were getting my stuff tonight. He'd been to my place. He said he'd be back tomorrow. Jace won't quit. He'll keep coming till he knows for sure I've moved on."

"How does he know when you've moved on?"

"I always leave a forwarding address. There have been very few times over the years that we left an area separately. And if we did it was usually me going first so I always leave a forwarding address. He always checks the post office."

"But you thought he was dead," Beth spoke up. "Why leave an address?"

Rio gave a small sound of protest, a sound more telling than any words.

"I… wouldn't… accept that." Her voice was tight, choked, and tears came fast. "And if he was alive, how would he find me? And I didn't once, you know. We were in Athens, WV., when he disappeared. He'd been helping a buddy of his in Blacksburg with some family stuff. I kept calling Trent but he insisted Jace had left for home. But I never saw him. The last time I talked to Trent he told me Jace had gotten a call from another friend of ours in Athens and with barely a word to him, Trent said he was heading home and tore out of there."

Rio's dead eyes skimmed over the faces in front of her. She pegged several of them: the boys, Xhex, Rehvenge, Vishous, Wrath.

"Some of you have heard the story first hand. I'm sure the rest of you got it passed along. So you'll understand if I don't repeat it. But Jace must have heard it from Connie. Cos that's when he disappeared."

She tried to continue but everything choked to a halt, stuck in her throat like someone had held her down and shoved all her words back in till she strangled on them. She twisted her hands in her hair and despite the control she fought to keep her anguish tore her wide open. The broken cries climbed to a shriek, words tumbling out so fast they were nearly unintelligible.

"Why did he abandon me? It wasn't my fault. I had to do it, I had no choice. It would've killed Jenna. She was too young to be torn apart by animals like that. She'd have never survived that. Her parents wouldn't have survived it. What else could I have done?"

She couldn't see through the river of tears, could barely feel the hands pulling her fingers from her hair. But she knew when Lassiter's arms went around her. His heat enfolded her with the white and his love poured through her. He pulled her onto his lap, his hands smoothing her skin, soothing her, burning away the horror and anguish.

Slowly she calmed enough to see the faces watching her. Her shame, the degradation she felt, clawed at her but as Lassiter continued caressing her and she scanned the faces in front of her she saw none of that. There was compassion, sympathy, even love. And anger on some. Anger over the ravaging she'd had to submit to in order to protect someone weaker. Anger at the man who meant so much to her yet who deserted her when she needed him the most.

"When I left Athens a month later I didn't leave a forwarding address. I thought, what was the point? His absence was my answer to the question of his reaction. I went to Philadelphia. I wanted to get lost somewhere big. But a week later I called the Athens post office and put in the address change. We'd been together too long for me to shut him out like that."

Wrath started to speak twice before resorting to a ferocious growl instead. Rio gave a small snicker.

"Ok, I know what that means. But the more I thought about it the more I was terrified he was dead. Jace and I found each other as teenagers. We both had bad home lives. I mean, really bad. Bad enough that he grabbed me when I was only fifteen and hauled me out of the state. He was only seventeen himself but looked older. We both did, actually, and it was a good thing or we'd have never survived. We grew up being closer than most brothers and sisters. You have to be when you depend on each other to stay alive.

"That's why I was so sure he was dead. I couldn't believe he'd leave me alone after… what happened. But I could see him being so furious that he'd get careless. Maybe wrap his car around a tree. Jace had a lead foot especially when he was pissed at something."

"But then you got that note," Rehvenge stepped in.

She nodded. Lassiter reached down and she grabbed his hand, squeezing hard.

"I left a note on the front door telling him to come to the club tonight before my shift starts. I've got to keep him away from the apartment. If the _lessers_ are still spot checking for me and they confront him, he'll fight. To find me. If I can get him away from there before they see him he can stay anywhere in town and still be safe."

She curled into Lassiter. He wrapped his arms around her and as she cried his glow brightened, shielding her from the eyes all around her.

One by one the Brothers looked at the angel. The hard set to his face and the protective posture to his massive hard body had them nodding in satisfaction. Whatever his reasons for leaving her alone they didn't matter right now. This fallen angel had bonded like any vampire male and that meant nobody would be hurting her anymore.

"You know you have to stay inside the club when he shows up," Wrath said.

Lassiter's glow dialed down as Rio lifted her head. Her tears had slowed and she threw the king a small smile that included Rehvenge.

"Have you been talking to him?" she shot off carelessly, nodding in the direction of the club owner.

When she saw Wrath's brows draw down in a thunderous frown, she realized what she'd said. Her eyes flew wide open and her face twisted down in horror. "Oh, my god, I didn't just say that!" she groaned.

Rehv's grin was pure evil. "Well, that saves me the trouble."

"Do I have to pull you from that job and lock you in the damn compound?" Wrath threatened.

"What the hell did I tell you?" she shot at Rehvenge. "An oddity on a leash. I am so getting the hell out of here."

Rio felt a surge of energy ripple through Lassiter. She looked up at him and realized it was pain she felt. His eyes locked on her. She didn't know how she could read that in those blazing white orbs but she knew she was right.

"No," she whispered, brushing her fingers over his mouth. "No, don't."

His light swelled, grew hot, and Rio felt herself sinking into it again. She knew they were being enveloped in his aura and as they disappeared from sight she threw her arms around his neck.

No white this time. When Lassiter's glow faded she saw a small glade. Just a break between lush trees. A soft, springy moss covered the ground under her feet and the air had a sweetness that she knew wasn't among any of the trees around Caldwell.

"Lassiter," she whispered. "Don't hurt, Lassiter, please."

He paced the small area slowly, running his hands through the beautiful black and blonde hair hanging down his back. She watched the heavy muscles ripple as he moved and her chest hurt. It struck her hard that she loved this creature. Completely, deeply, with a purity that left her trembling at its power.

"I was cast out because I asked God for a love beyond His."

He turned toward her, reaching for an overhead branch to brace himself. The hard lines of his body, the sight of the thick muscles bunching tightly as he stretched above his head, took her breath away. She wanted those arms around her but she waited.

"I'd never had physical love and I craved the touch and the love of a woman. Someone who could love me as He did – as I would love her. That was my sin. To dare to compare something as weak as mortal, physical love to His boundless, incomparable love. Yet, I still wanted that. He cast me out for my disloyalty. Though I still love Him completely and without reservation. As He still loves me. And He knew what I wanted. What I needed."

Rio felt her heart lurch, skip a beat, then slam against her ribs. A sweet dizziness swept through her and when she tried to reach out she couldn't lift her hand.

"What?" she was barely heard, her voice far too weak.

"You."

His voice was as strong as his body and he strode to her. Her legs gave out and Lassiter caught her to him. He carried her down to the velvety ground, his body covering hers like the warm air surrounding them.

"Lassiter," she breathed, sinking her fingers into his hair.

His mouth was everywhere - burning, claiming, demanding.

"Please don't leave me, Rio. I am a fallen angel but without you I am also lost. Lost to everything. You complete me. You complete me and you free me to be everything I was meant to be."

She felt his heated skin burning into her as he once again willed away their clothing and when he dragged her legs around his waist she gasped.

"I will love you like you've never been loved. I will protect you against everything and I will bring you such peace you will never hurt again."

"I've never been full, Lassiter," she whispered against his neck, her hands touching, stroking, heating his blood as she drew him in to her. "I never realized how much the hole in me hurt till you filled it and took the pain away. Love me, Lassiter. Yours is the face I've been seeing in my dreams since I was a child. The only times I didn't hurt. Love me and don't let go."

He groaned against her throat and her back arched against him as she felt the hot length of his erection against her thigh. He reached down, palming his thick cock and guiding it to her core. As he thrust into her, her head kicked back and she screamed. Lassiter took her hard, knowing what she needed, showing her the craving for her that ran hot through his blood. And as her orgasm ripped through her, he dug his fingers into her buttocks and pulled her up tight to him. His hips thrust wildly, his control gone as her muscles gripped and squeezed him till his release blasted up his shaft. With a hoarse yell he came into her, hot, sweet, again and again till she screamed his name and came undone.

Rio paced from one end of the club to the other, back through the halls behind coded doors, through the staff rooms, and every bathroom in the place. By her third lap around, she was not the only one who was wishing she was hanging from one of the heavy beams in the building's basement.

"Goddamn it, will you sit down already, woman," Butch grumbled as she passed the Brother's table in the VIP section for the fourth time. "You're wearing me out already."

He and V had brought her in tonight and Butch was manning guard duty while V was outside smoking and scanning the area. Rio stopped in front of the table and leaned on her palms. She looked wild, out of control.

"Are you kidding me?" she breathed. "Have you been watching me at all? Do I look like I could sit? Where the hell is he? God, I hope he's alright."

Butch looked pointedly at his watch. "I hate to bring up mundane facts during such a major crisis, but you dragged us in here half an hour before you told him to be here. And since it's just seven o'clock now he's not late."

She wrinkled her nose at him and pushed herself upright, ready to hit the next lap around the circuit. But when she turned toward the gen pop area she froze. Butch straightened up quickly.

Xhex had just come out of Rehv's office. When she saw Rio she leaned back and knocked twice on the door. Rehv stepped out, moving quietly into the shadows, sweeping his eyes around to make sure no one unexpected had followed the newcomer in.

"Get in here, V," Butch spoke softly into his phone. "It's happening."

Rio didn't see V come in behind the dark haired man. She didn't see Butch nod once to the Brother. All she saw was the man who'd saved her life. The guy who'd risked everything to get her away from someone who enjoyed using his fists too much. Who had started thinking about other things besides his fists as Rio was turning into a quiet beauty.

Jace Bennett was six foot two and while he wasn't as big as any of the Brothers and Lassiter, or even Rehv, for that matter, he still turned heads wherever he went. He wasn't afraid to work at anything hard and he had the body to prove it. Broad shoulders and a nicely sculpted chest tapered down to a tight stomach and lean hips. His tight jeans hugged his hard thighs nicely and Rio was sure her chest had shrunk two sizes for the size of her heart. It was pounding so hard she couldn't draw a breath.

"Jace," she breathed, her hand going to her mouth.

All of a sudden she couldn't see him and so almost missed the step he took toward her. She threw herself at him, not touching one of the four steps from the VIP section down to the mezzanine.

It didn't matter. Jace caught her to him in a ferocious clench, holding her off the floor, his face buried in her neck. She wound her arms around him, her fists tight in his long hair, and didn't care that she still hadn't taken a breath since she saw him or that the tears poured down her face unchecked. His body shook against hers and she knew he was hurting as much as she was.

He lifted his head high enough to pull her mouth to his and the heat and the passion in his kiss seared her. He still held her up, one arm melding her hips to his as he crushed her to him.

Butch's eyebrows slowly climbed his forehead as the heat generated by that embrace surged across the room in waves. He cleared his throat twice before he could get his voice to work.

"Wow. That's some friend."

Without taking his eyes off the pair, Vishous reached out and rocked his best friend with a hard shot to the shoulder.

"Fuck, man!" Butch yelped, rubbing his bicep as it instantly spasmed. "Well, it is. All I can say is it's a damn good thing the angel isn't here. We might see some honest to God smiting going on."

He moved with a fast side twist as V's fist came toward him again. "Hey, lay off with that, man, or I won't be able to work out with that arm for a week."

"Suck it up, cop. It's only what you deserve for being insensitive."

"Hey, I'm plenty sensitive. Ask Marissa."

Jace finally set Rio down and she caught his face between her hands. They stood close, wrapped in each other's arms for so long Rehvenge finally crossed the floor to their sides.

"Let's go somewhere a little less conspicuous," he said softly, his hands at their backs.

He led them up the VIP steps and without a break in his stride steered them into his office. When Rio let go of Jace long enough to acknowledge the chair pushed under her legs, she looked up in shock as she realized where they were.


	17. Chapter 17

Rehv settled behind his desk and kept his smile tight enough so the fangs didn't show. One of the hazards of dealing with a species who didn't know they weren't the only ones making decisions in the world.

"I thought you could use a little privacy for the start of this reunion," he explained. "You know firsthand, Rio, what happens when the customers start getting too into each other right out in the middle of the dance floor."

Though he spoke gently, with a smile, Rio's eyes still flew wide and she gasped. "Come on, Rehv, we weren't out of hand!"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Well it looked to me like Butch was having a little temperature control problem at his table. And considering where he's sitting, I can imagine what the tables close to you felt like."

She stared at him for a moment, then shook her head and turned to Xhex. "Am I allowed to call the boss an asshole?"

She shrugged. "I do all the time."

Rio sighed in resignation. "Yeah, but you're an asshole too sometimes so that makes it ok."

Jace watched the play bounce back and forth. He felt his instinctive protectiveness kick in when Rehv and Rio first started trading words but he quickly realized this wasn't a normal fight for control. It only took a few more barbs for him to realize these people were all close and he started relaxing.

Rio looked at him and again her eyes welled up.

"Oh, baby, don't cry anymore," he protested softly, his fingers wiping the tears from her face. "You know what that does to me."

She dropped her head and rocked forward on her lap. Her pain resurfaced as she questioned him without looking up. "Jace, where were you? It's been almost two and a half years and not a word. Do you know what that did to me, especially when I realized why you probably left? And I started worrying that after all we'd gone through, the only reason for you to be away was you were dead. Maybe that temper of yours swallowed you and you got careless."

The silence was as loud as a bomb with nothing to break the sound barrier but her soft cries. Finally he reached out and caught her chin. He turned her face to his and when Rio saw the crushing pain in his eyes, she broke. His fingers tightened on her chin as she sobbed unashamedly.

"I couldn't look at you," his voice broke into a thousand pieces. "When Connie told me what had happened to you my rage that I hadn't been there to protect you, to be between you and those fucking animals, tore my sanity away and I shattered. I became what we'd run from and I knew if I got anywhere near you, I'd kill everyone around us. Everyone."

He let go of her face but caught her hand. His fingers twisted through hers so hard she winced in pain but she never let go.

"When I left Trent's place I ran. Just ran. I didn't wrap myself around a tree but I did take out my oil pan on some scree when I lost control on a gravel pit road. So from that point on I was on foot. I spent two weeks living in the bush with just the clothes I had on. I snared rabbits, managed to catch a pheasant or two, even got lucky enough to snag a chicken from a farm once. But when my lighter ran out and I couldn't cook the meat anymore, I had to resort to raiding gardens and stealing the odd lunch bucket from empty trucks.

"I remember watching a couple of gophers playing around my camp one evening but I refused stoop to eating anything raw. I figured I'd become enough of an animal by that time I didn't want to add to the decline. I was thankful it was summer. I managed to keep clean in little streams and ponds I came across but it would've been a bitch if the weather had been colder."

He stopped for a moment and pulled in a huge, shuddering breath. Rehv nodded at Xhex who crossed to his bar and poured two stiff drinks. She sat them down in front of Rio and Jace and when Rehv nodded again she made them each one as well.

Jace downed three quarters of his in one mouthful then bent his head as he started coughing hard. When the wracking spasms slowed, he shot back the rest of the glass and Xhex took it from him. She brought it back full but this time he took it slow.

"After those two weeks, I headed back home. Took me another week to get there. I cleaned up and started looking for those guys. It took me a week and a half to find the only one you'd left alive."

He came back to himself, realizing he was talking in front of strangers. He slanted a quick look at Xhex then turned to Rehv. Xhex was dangerous, no doubt about it in those black leathers and wife beater, muscled hard and tight. But instinct told him this huge guy with the razor slick mohawk and the never before seen purple eyes was a straight up killer. It was in every inch of that hard body but those eyes could cut into you as slick as a blade in your back and with as little warning.

Jace looked at Rio, the question in his eyes, and she nodded. "You can say anything in this room. Anything."

He nodded back and kept her eyes pinned. "I killed him, Rio. I made sure he died hard."

She never made a sound. She just squeezed his hand harder. He couldn't look at her when he told her the rest, his control wouldn't allow it, and he turned away.

"I castrated him. Slowly, an inch at a time. And when I was done with his cock, I took his sac, too. And before he died, I made sure he knew who it was for."

Even Xhex clenched up all over at the words. She'd done her share of killing and her  _symphath_ side had soaked up the satisfying rush like a blood transfusion. But the sheer power of the rage still boiling beneath the surface of Jace's voice even after all this time sent a shudder through her like she'd never felt before.

Rehv brought a hand up to his face, resting his chin on it for a moment, then with a quick wipe over his face, he exhaled softly. "Fuck," it was barely above a whisper.

Not shock. Just an acknowledgment of a hard road taken and the scars left by the trip.

"I never heard anything," Rio said softly, her sorrow too deep for anything else. "The cops never found him after the attack so I figured he'd run. I left town a month after you disappeared so I was gone before you came back. And I never heard anything on the road."

"The second he died I was gone. I've been on run since. I was careful. I planned it well. I left no clues, nothing behind. I knew it would take days before anybody found him so I didn't even drive in. And I left his truck with the body. I walked for most of twelve hours to get to my vehicle. I changed rides three times in the first week. Then headed to the west coast. Figured that was a good start.

"I almost didn't make it more times than I care to remember. I couldn't get you out of my mind. I couldn't stop worrying about you."

"Why didn't you get word to me you were alright?" Rio asked, tears running unchecked down her cheeks. "I wasn't me anymore without you."

He shook his head. "I knew damn well if you heard my voice, you'd spend every minute trying to convince me to come to you. And I was too damn afraid I'd listen. So no. That wasn't an option."

Rio bent her head and her body shook with her sorrow. Jace pulled her onto his lap, holding her close, stroking her hair, her back. Except for her sobs, the room was quiet. Jace whispered in her ear, soft words to comfort her.

"I'm here now, sweetheart. I'm here. I couldn't stand being without you any longer. I had to know you were ok."

Rio finally wiped her face and slid back onto her chair. She looked at him, her eyes shimmering, and Jace reached out and wiped the tears away.

"Why don't you want me around your apartment?"

This time Rio scanned the room. Rehv cocked an eyebrow and waited.

Rio sighed. "It's not safe and don't ask questions."

Jace pulled himself upright. He got tight. Rio felt it in his grip. "Like hell I'm not asking questions," he snapped.

"Jace, I'm fine, I'm not at the apartment anymore and as long as you don't show up there, you'll be fine, too."

"That's not good enough, Rio." His hard eyes looked from Rehvenge to Xhex.

"Don't peg them." She shook her head. "It's got nothing to do with them."

"Well, who has it got to do with and where are they right now?"

Rio looked at Rehvenge. He cocked his head, his eyebrows raised.

"You're no fucking help, you know that?" she grumbled. He laughed and raised his glass.

Rio turned to Jace. "I can't tell you anything, Jace, and I'm serious. You can't ask. Just, please, stay away from the apartment."

He held her gaze for several long minutes and the strength of her stare told him she wasn't backing down on this one.

"Ok, so where are you staying? I'll get a room there."

His eyes hardened when she hesitated.

"Jace, I'm not in a motel anywhere." She held up her hand when he started to speak. "It's part of what I can't tell you."

He shot to his feet and paced around the limited space. Finally he snatched up his glass and pounded back the drink.

"I'll let it go for now because I'm pretty sure I'm not getting anything else out of you tonight. But it's not over."

She stood and slid her arms around his neck.

Jace caught her tight, dropping his head to her neck. He held her close for awhile before lifting his head. "So what now?"

"Now I work and you get to either sit and drink or find a bed somewhere."

"You're working here." He grinned.

"No," she cracked. "I just get to sit in the owner's office everywhere I drink."

He laughed and threw his arm around her shoulder. Xhex followed them out into the club. Rio saw immediately that Vishous and Butch were gone and she let out a slow exhale. Looks like she was getting a few hours break before having to deflect Jace again.

Jace slid into the Brothers' booth and when the waitress approached Xhex put her palm on the table.

"He's on the house tonight," she told the woman and tapped the table when Jace offered his thanks.

Rio flashed him a grin and nodded at the security head as she headed out to the mezzanine floor. She pulled in a deep breath as she headed down the steps and turned her mind to the job.

The next few hours were distracting. Rio was a professional but no matter how hard she concentrated she couldn't forget that Jace was in the club and watching her. The first fight she had to break up actually served to distract her and she came out of it finally feeling like herself again. After dumping the slightly worse for wear troublemaker on the front sidewalk, she saw Jace leaning against the column at the top of the VIP section. He nodded at her and went back to his table. Rio shook her head with a smile and headed to the bathroom.

Three thirty rolled around and Rio started worrying. She didn't know who was coming for her but it didn't matter. It would be a Brother and Jace wouldn't let that go by without questions. She passed Xhex on the stairs and laughed at the expression on the security head's face.

"I'm seriously considering leaving in ten minutes. Out the _back_ door."

"That'll just open up a whole load of new problems," Xhex pointed out.

"Yeah. Unfortunately."

Fifteen minutes later Jace waved Rio over to his table. "You're done at four, right?" he asked. She recognized the look in his eyes.

"Yup. Gotta favor to ask."

"Name it." He smiled.

She took a deep breath. "Can I get you to change tables?"

He raised his eyebrows and tipped his head. She knew what that meant. _WTF!_ She took a slow, deep breath and tried to figure out how to explain this. Jace straightened up and crossed his arms. Oh, crap.

"This table, while not exactly reserved, is a 'usual' table and the usuals should be showing up any minute."

"And why would these usuals be coming after last call?" he asked in an even voice.

Rio wasn't fooled by his tone. There were questions to be asked here and he was definitely going to be asking them. Soon.

"Jace, I've got people to throw out. Can we do this later?"

He shrugged and slid out of the booth. Dropping into one across the aisle he crossed his arms again. She closed her eyes and turned around.

When Rio came back from checking the bathrooms in the main floor she saw Rhage and Blay sitting at the Brothers' table. She also saw Jace looking at the table's occupants.

"Damn," she muttered, heading for the stairs.

Blay got up and waited for her. He pulled her close and she felt Jace's eyes on her back as she slid her arms around Blay's waist.

"Is that him?" he whispered against her ear.

"Yes," she answered. "Get ready for the questions."

Five minutes later and everybody was gone, all the doors locked, and Rio's stomach dropped. No way to stall this out anymore. She passed Xhex heading back to the VIP section.

"So, what are you going to tell him?" Xhex rapped out in passing.

Rio shot her the finger over her shoulder and heard the hard laugh behind her.

"Rio." Rhage gave her a straightforward look. "You ready?"

Jace shot to his feet and caught her arm. "Rio, talk to me."

Rhage took a step forward. The huge vampire may be easygoing most of the time but nobody put a hand on someone he was protecting. Rio saw the ice flash in his beautiful blue eyes and she blocked his access to Jace.

"Step off, Rhage," she warned. "We're not going there."

"Then you tell him to keep his hands off you," he shot back, his voice hard, flat.

"Rhage, he's my brother," she spoke softly.

"No, he's not."

She punched him in the chest and of course, he didn't notice. She tried to shake the sting out of her knuckles and threw herself at Jace who lunged at the huge vampire.

"Stop! Enough!" she yelled.

There were too many bodies closing in all of a sudden and Rio locked her arms around Jace. Rehvenge, Trez and iAm stepped into the light behind Blay and Rhage. Xhex was waiting at the top of the VIP steps. And of course, Blay and Rhage were almost breathing down her neck.

"Jace, they're friends!" She pushed against him.

"Friends? And this is where you're staying?" He stepped back and caught her face in his hands. "Damn it, Rio, talk to me."

Those blue eyes were stormy gray and she knew this wasn't going to go down well.

"They're my… bodyguards. And yes, I'm going with them."

"What the hell is going on, Rio?" he demanded. "I mean, look at these guys. What the hell has happened to you that you need guys like this to protect you?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you, Jace. It's not my story. I just got caught up in it."

"Well, that's just bullshit. Have you been to the police?"

"No," she said sharply. "And you can't go, either."

"Rio," Blay spoke softly behind her. "We've got to go."

"Blay, wait a minute, please."

She saw the determination on Jace's face but what pulled her up short was the fear. The fear of letting her walk away with these two massive men who looked like they should be in a prison yard. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him to her. Jace wrapped his arms around her and she knew he wasn't letting her go anywhere without him.

"Rio." Rhage this time.

Rio turned to him, tightening up for the explosion. "I'm going with Jace tonight."

"No, you're not." Rhage pulled her away from Jace.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Jace lunged for them.


	18. Chapter 18

Blay cut in front of him and Xhex closed in on the other side.

"This is insanity, Rio," Rhage argued. "You know you can't be out here."

"I know I can't leave him alone like this," she yelled. "What the hell else can I do?"

"What about Lassiter?"

"Why does everybody keep throwing Lassiter at me?" She jerked away from him and slammed her fist on the closest table. "And that's just low, on top of it all. I'm going with Jace. Period."

Rhage shoved his hands through his hair. Rio could feel the tension and anger rising in him. He jammed his hands on his hips.

"Wrath's gonna –"

Rio cut him off. "Wrath can kiss my ass. And I told him that the other day." She grabbed her throat. "See this? No leash." She jabbed her finger at him, a silent warning as well as a line drawn.

Rehvenge slipped up beside her, catching her arm gently. "Rio, you know this isn't the way to go."

"Damn it, Rehv, what choice do I have?" she asked softly, her eyes glittering suspiciously. "I can't explain this so how do I expect him to go without me?"

Rehv shot a quick look at the guy blocked between Blay and Xhex. "And if you go tonight? What can you tell him tonight? And what about tomorrow?"

He held her gaze, his logic boring into her like a drill bit and her tears spilled over. She shook her head in defeat.

"I have no idea," she whispered. "But it's not going to stop me."

Rehv pulled her gently into his arms. She twisted her fingers into the lapels of his thirty-five hundred dollar Valentino suit. She felt his hand stroke over her hair once before walking her into Jace's arms. She felt like a Christmas package going from person to person but she accepted the arms around her with a deep sigh and grabbed onto him. She heard Rehv speaking softly to Rhage before he turned back to her.

"You two sit down for a minute. Xhex, get them a couple of drinks."

As the glasses were set down in front of them, Rio turned to Rehv, the question clear on her face.

"You'll spend the night at my place at the Commodore. You'll be safe but I don't have any supplies there so we need to give Fritz some time to take some shit over."

Rio's head rolled back on her neck and she closed her eyes with a huge sigh.

"Once you're in," her head snapped up at his tone, "you're in for the night. Call me tomorrow before you leave."

She knew what he was saying. He could set his security alarm from anywhere so there'd be no checking out the night air from the balcony. She nodded.

"Rehv –"

He held up his hand and cut her off, his amethyst eyes hot, and Rio knew he wasn't fooling around. "Someone will pick you up for work and get your friend to a safe motel somewhere."

He pegged her with a hard stare then disappeared into his office. Xhex headed to the back to finish closing up.

Jace took Rio's arm and steered her to a table on the mezzanine floor. She realized that Rhage and Blay were gone. Well, that made sense. Somebody had to go back to the mansion to set off the bomb on the big mutiny she'd pulled. And to get Fritz on the move with some food to get them through the day. Knowing Fritz, there'd be enough there to keep them full for a week.

"Rio, are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Jace asked quietly once he thought they were out of earshot.

"Jace, can this wait until we get settled for the night? You're not going to be happy with any of it and I really don't want to battle it out here. Besides, it won't be long before we can get the hell out of here."

He looked at her, searching her face for a long time, then nodded and ran his hand down her cheek. She caught his fingers and brought them to her lips. She excused herself to use the bathroom and the second she was behind the door she pulled out her phone and hit speed dial.

"Rehv, I can't call Wrath tonight. He knows I won't talk but he's going to be on a rampage over what I will say. Can you let him know I've got a cover story? I'll… fill him in later."

"Rio, you know you're digging your way deeper in this all the time."

"Oh, really?" she snapped sarcastically. "And what the hell does everybody propose I do? Every single one of you is in the same fucking place with at least one other person. So you all know exactly what kind of rock I'm behind right now. If anybody can come up with a solution that would work satisfactorily in your cases, well, I'm fucking waiting to hear it."

The silence on the other end of the phone had her wondering if she'd pushed that one too far. Then Rehv's voice came to her softly.

"I'll call Wrath."

"Holy shit, that club must do really well."

Jace whistled as he walked around the living room of Rehv's condo. The black marble floor had a sheen to it in the light that made it look bottomless and the glass and nickel-plated chrome everywhere glittered.

"He's got other businesses, too." Rio shrugged. "Coffee?"

Jace nodded and Rio headed for the kitchen.

"Let's see what's here," she mumbled, opening cupboard doors.

She was right. Fritz had stocked the place with enough food for a houseful for at least a week. Rio put the coffee on then scrambled them up some eggs.

Jace sat quietly at the kitchen table watching her work then crossed to the cupboard. He pulled out a couple of plates and rummaged in a drawer for silverware. While Rio made the toast he set up their places at the end of the black granite counter.

They ate in silence. The closer they got to the end of the meal though the tighter she wound. Could she pull this off? Or would it sound so ridiculous it couldn't possibly be real? She had to make this work. It could be Jace's life. They cleaned up the kitchen together and Rio poured coffee. They settled into the living room and Rio waited.

Jace drank in silence. His eyes drifted around the room, taking in details of the space without really seeing it. He set his coffee cup on the table in front of him and leaned forward, his forearms on his thighs. Still no questions and Rio's breathing got fast, shallow. Finally, Jace raised his head and his eyes locked with hers.

"Now, Rio." His voice was low, quiet. "I want to hear it now."

She heaved a huge sigh and threw out another prayer. This time she even added the Scribe Virgin to her recipient list. She was going to need all the help she could get.

"I walked into a killing."

Jace straightened, sucking in his breath fast.

"I'm ok, Jace," she assured him quickly. "But in the interests of hitting the bull's eye as fast as possible, this is a government operation and I absolutely cannot tell you anything about it."

Jace stared at her and as the no talking stretched out, she knew what he was doing. This was his way of trying to crank up her discomfort enough that she would break down and spill the secrets. Rio held his stare as long as he threw it out and finally she laughed softly.

"Jace, you try this all the time and I never works."

Jace shook his head and dropped back against the cushions. "This is serious shit, Rio. I need to hear about it. I'll try anything I can."

"And you'll get the same response you always do."

"Then tell me what you can," he demanded, exasperation roughening his voice.

Here we go. Sucking in a slow controlled lungful, she threw out another prayer to the Scribe Virgin.

"I was seen."

"By the killer," Jace said.

"Killers," she stressed. "And the good guys. So I'm in protective custody."

He shot to his feet and paced the room. She waited for the rest.

"With guys who look like they belong in a war zone somewhere."

Rio kept waiting. He wasn't done ranting.

He heaved a sigh. "So, where have they got you?"

"Really." Rio tipped her head, the sarcasm clear.

"Damn it, Rio, give me something!"

"Jace, you know I got nothing."

She waited while he paced some more. After five minutes of circling the apartment he stopped in front of the bank of windows in the living room and stared out over the city.

"Is there a bar in this place somewhere?"

"Knowing Rehv, I would image," she murmured.

He heard doors opening and closing then the tinkling of ice hitting glasses. Bottles, doors, the soft clink of a glass on a table. Jace turned. Rio watched him over the rim of her glass. Finally, he walked back to the couch and picked up his drink. He sucked back a large swallow and dropped into his chair.

"So, how long is this expected to drag out?" He was starting to sound resigned.

She shrugged. "At this point, there's no knowing."

She thought the lie was screaming through her tone but Jace gave no indication anything was off.

"And the thing with your apartment?"

"These guys are probably spot checking my place hoping to catch me alone. And if they get their hands on you they'll kill you. These guys are hard-core, Jace. They've got no conscience and no emotions. So there's no appealing to them, no convincing them of anything. The only option is to stay the hell off their radar."

Rio knew when he surrendered to the inevitable. He held his hand out for her glass and headed to the bar.

"So, if you're tied to these bodyguards, when do I get to see you? Just at work? And how do we get any kind of life back?"

Rio sighed, dropping her head back on the cushions. "I don't have all the answers yet, Jace. Work for sure. I'll see what I can do about anything else. As for the rest of life, let's put that on hold for a while."

Jace sat down and crossed his ankle over his knee watching her. Rio saw the wheels turning. The questions weren't done yet.

"These bodyguards," his began, "more to the point, those names."

Rio laughed, dropping her head back briefly. "Yeah, they are something, aren't they."

"Ok, let's see what we've got. Rhage, Wrath, Blay."

Rio chuckled. "Blaylock."

"Oh, yeah, that's much better."

"Come on, Jace, the names don't mean anything," she protested, grinning at him. "Who knows why they took those names? I mean, they're government, they're undercover. Maybe they just like the sounds of them."

Jace laughed. The silence that settled between them was easy, no strain. The comfortable quiet was the result of long years of being close, of reading each other like a much visited, well-loved book. Then Jace dropped his eyes and when he slid his glass in a slow circle on the arm of his chair, she knew more was on the way.

"Lassiter."

Rio stiffened and closed her eyes.

"Rio. Who's Lassiter?"

"We're not going there." She jumped to her feet and left the room.

He followed her to the kitchen. Rio was leaning against the counter, her head hanging. She felt the tension crawl through her and she clutched the edge of the granite tightly. Her eyes closed and he was there.

"No," she whispered.

The form was barely discernible through the flash of the golden glow. Slowly the halo dimmed until the shape of the man was clear. Rio gasped as she looked at the overwhelming beauty in front of her. Those silver eyes blazed from his face, the light washing over her like hot fingers and she shuddered as she felt him reach for her.

"Rio."

Jace stepped in behind her, his body tight against hers. He slid his hands down her arms, twisting his fingers through hers.

"What, sweetheart, what?" She fought for control, for numbness.

"Talk to me," he urged, pulling her back against him, crossing her arms over her stomach and holding her tight. "Who's Lassiter?"

"Don't ask, Jace," she said, choked and hoarse. "I'm not talking about Lassiter. Period."

"Damn!"

He buried his face into her neck but he didn't push her. He heard the note of finality. She wasn't breaking on this. He held her till she calmed, till the trembling faded. Rio let him pull her back into the living room and down beside him on the sofa.

The city spread out before them like diamonds on a jeweller's cloth. The black velvet backdrop gave everything to the view and the lights glittered with life. They sat in silence letting the beauty of the city night wash away the lost years between them, easing the pain that had taken a hold of them.

Rio drifted as the warmth of Jace's arms carried her away. She felt him lifting her and when he carried her down onto Rehvenge's king sized bed and wrapped himself around her, she let herself fall down into the quiet and safety of his presence.

Rio had just stepped out of the shower when she heard her cell ring. As she dried off she heard Jace talking and a moment later there was a knock on the door.

"A couple of guys named Tohrment and Z will be here in half an hour to pick us up. He said the alarm will stay on until they get here."

Rio yanked open the door, twisting the towel around her. Jace straightened abruptly at the anxious look on her face.

"Just Tohr and Z? Nobody else?"

"Just those two. Who are you looking for?"

She shook her head and pushed past him to the bedroom. She dragged on her jeans and snapped on her bra. She was reaching for her t-shirt when Jace barged in and grabbed her arm.

"Who else, Rio?" he demanded softly. "Lassiter?"

"Leave it alone, Jace." She pushed him away and yanked the shirt over her head. When she looked at him she wound down, her arms falling loosely at her side. "Lassiter wouldn't come. And I'm not talking so stop asking."

She stood in front of the wall of windows, her hands shoved in her pockets, until there was a knock on the door. Jace went to answer it and she knew the Brothers had materialized in the hall in order to keep Jace out of the loop as much as possible. He checked the peephole then let the vampires in.

He entered the living room ahead of the two males and Rio saw the hard sheen in his eyes. Then she saw Zsadist close behind and smiled a little. Of course. The scar slashing across the middle of that warrior's face and the skull trim hair together with the huge, muscled body made a lot of people wish they were far away from that male. And when his emotions were cranked up and his beautiful yellow eyes flashed a hard black – well, most people didn't just wish to be far away. They moved.

Rio felt like a film star as she walked past the lineup outside the club, surrounded on three sides by the men with her. Even Jace's eyes scanned the crowd as they entered the club and Tohr and Z stayed close till they hit the VIP section. Rio let the music roll through her, charging her up. She looked up when Tohr caught her arm.

"Someone will be back when you're done." He watched her eyes flick over Jace fast and he nodded once.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Jace looked over at the two males waiting for him and he pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"Well, the boys are waiting," he drawled, lifting his eyebrows. "I'll get settled someplace and probably be back later."

"Xhex said use her name at the door. She'll come for you, you won't have to wait."

He nodded and gave her another quick kiss before heading for the door.

Rio spent the next few hours submerged in a world she loved. The driving beat of the music and the energy pulsing through the crowd lit her up.

People came to a place like ZeroSum for a whole lot of reasons. Most were trying to convince themselves they were still alive in some way. Some tried by drinking enough to feel at least the pain of a hangover. Some by reaching for the touch of another human – any kind of touch from any human. Some got their shot of life by watching others pour themselves down a drain after they'd handed their power to someone who didn't deserve it.

This was where Rio really breathed. The smell of hot lights and equally hot bodies, the sounds of loud talk and louder laughter, the strident yells of anger and the sharp sting of danger – it all sent the blood pounding through her veins. Rio came alive here.

She crossed the mezzanine floor, rubbing her knuckles. She'd just had a very satisfying session with a couple of good ol' boys who thought she needed some time with _real_ men and figured they were it. Especially after she'd taken away their first choice for party girl. They were now partying with the rats in the back alley and where they went from there was – well, nothing she gave a damn about.

"Any clean up needed?" Xhex asked as the two passed each other.

Rio shook her head. "Just a couple of new chairs at the far table."

"Good deal."

Rio shook her head, snickering, as she climbed the VIP steps. Nothing kick started her happiness gene like a smooth exchange with a boss like Xhex.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey, sweetheart."

She turned at the voice. Jace jogged up the stairs and gave her a quick, chaste kiss.

"No getting out of hand on the floor," he said archly, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, my god, don't you start." She laughed. "So, where are you staying and how is it? And how long did the guys hover around you?"

This time Jace laughed, throwing his head back. "I'm at the Hudson, it's decent, and the guys deserted me fairly quickly."

"Well," she threw over her shoulder, holding her palm out to an empty booth, "consider yourself lucky."

Jace slid into the booth and behaved himself very nicely till John and Qhuinn rolled in just before closing. Rio stopped between the booths and with a raised eyebrow shot a look at both tables before moving on.

"Alright, that's it." Rio looked around. "I'm ready."

Trez and iAm appeared from the basement where Rally's scale room was located and Xhex strode in from locking up the tills. Rehv had left early for a meeting.

"Where you parked?" She looked at Jace, who shot his chin at the exit.

"Just down the block from the alley."

Qhuinn pushed open the exit door and everyone filed out. Trez and iAm passed a few quiet words with Xhex and gave a quick nod to Rio. She got Jace turned around and asked a few more questions about his motel. The move was designed to allow the two Shadows to dematerialize out of there and a second later, several newspaper pages and some scrap garbage gusted past them. Rio kept her smile small and away from Jace.

Xhex rolled her Ducati from the private garage where Rehvenge kept his Bentley parked and offered to walk Jace to his car. Jace nodded and Rio stretched on to her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"I'm off tomorrow," she whispered. "Maybe we can work something out."

He exhaled hard, closing his eyes briefly. "I'd love that."

Rio turned toward the Mercedes when suddenly the breeze shifted down the alley. Instantly, the harsh smell of baby powder and rotten garbage hit them and Rio stiffened.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that?" Jace groaned harshly, pressing the back of his hand against his nose.

John and Qhuinn snapped upright and Xhex dropped her bike against the side of the building.

"Shit!" Rio growled. "Now what?"

"Get in the car!" Qhuinn snapped as John yanked open the door.

"And do what?" she cried as four _lessers_ appeared at the mouth of the alley.

"Rio, who the hell are they?" Jace demanded as the slayers started toward them, grinning broadly.

"Jace, get in the car." She held her hands out to her sides and stepped away from him.

"Like fuck I will!"

"Xhex, give him a knife," she yelled.

Xhex threw her second blade at him just as the boys ran at the slayers. Jace palmed it, his face turning cold as he followed Rio.

"They're stronger than anything you've faced before," she told him. "Go for the chest as fast as you can. And don't freak, no matter what happens. You can't afford to lose focus."

The battle exploded. John and Qhuinn waded in, fists and feet flying. Jace paused for a moment, surprise immobilizing him as Xhex knocked down one of their assailants with a flying scissor kick. But as he saw a white haired mountain barrelling down on him, he pushed aside his shock and threw himself into the battle.

Rio was scared to death for Jace but she had no time to check on him. She had her own _lesser_ to deal with. Acting on an instinct that made no sense, she lifted her palms a little higher and tipped her head. With a smile she eased forward a couple of steps.

"Hey, we don't have to get into anything here, do we. Why don't you and I take a couple of minutes to talk about this, ok?"

The _lesser_ froze, suddenly unsure of himself. He wasn't a new inductee by any means, going by how much he'd paled out, and Rio was vaguely surprised that he reacted with such uncertainty. He'd obviously been around the society's block long enough his reaction to her should have been go for the kill. But he held back, like he thought her suggestion was reasonable. And while he was thinking it over, Rio was able to work her way close enough to not only have a better shot at him but also get it with an element of surprise.

She leaned forward and ran hard, driving her head into his stomach. At the same time she yanked out her dagger and shoved it into his thigh and twisted. He screamed and went down and without any hesitation, Rio yanked her knife free and crawled on top of him. She raised her arms over her head, gripping the blade in both hands, and brought it down hard into the slayer's chest. The blade caught then sank deep. Rio rolled off the body and in the middle of the piercing scream there was a huge flash of light and a pop and the _lesser_ was gone.

"Rio!" Jace yelled.

"Keep fighting, Jace," she yelled back, running to his side.

She was barely aware of the pop and flash on the far side of the alley. Jace had sliced and diced his _lesser_ pretty good but the slayer now had Jace pinned on his back and was pounding him with his fists. Rio reached them just as the _lesser_ raised his blade.

"Hey, you don't want to do that, right. I wouldn't like it very much."

The _lesser_ froze for a second and threw a look over his shoulder at Rio, almost like he was thinking about what she'd said. She climbed his back and reaching around, dragged her blade across the slayer's throat splitting him wide.

Jace cursed in disgust as black blood poured from the wound and down the killer's chest. He shoved hard, rolling the slayer off him and before he could make a move, Rio was on him again. She drove her blade into his chest and the _lesser_ was gone.

Xhex stepped back from the slayer she'd just knifed. She and Rio both reached down for Jace and as he grabbed their hands, John came racing over to them. He caught Rio's arm and pushed both her and Jace into the back seat of the car. At that moment, there was a pop and flash that meant Qhuinn had just finished off his problem.

Rio knew what the panic was. More _lessers_ could be close behind. They had to get out of there. Facing more _lessers_ with a human in their midst who didn't have a clue wasn't an option and Wrath didn't want Rio fighting, either.

John turned to Xhex, pinning her with blazing blue eyes. Despite the horror of the fight, Rio couldn't stop her smile as she watched his hand shoot out and catch Xhex by the neck. He dragged her into him, his kiss claiming her mouth hard. When he released her the shock on her face was visible even in the car. Then the half- _sympath_ reached up and stroked her hand down his face before turning to grab her bike.

Qhuinn jumped in behind the wheel, yelling at John to get the hell in the car. Bare seconds later, they were bouncing out of the alley onto Trade Street, tires squealing as they rounded the corner on two wheels.

Jace grabbed Rio's hand. She looked at him as he squeezed the bones till pain shot through her. She shook her head, her eyes telling him to wait. He let go of her and leaned forward, rubbing one hand over the bruises on his face, the other arm wrapped around his battered stomach. Rio laid her hand on the back of his neck as the car jolted over the set of train tracks at the edge of town. She sucked in a huge breath, her head rolling back on her shoulders.

"Are we ok?" she threw the question out, her fingers tightening on Jace's neck.

"Yeah." Qhuinn answered tightly. "We're almost at the road."

She exhaled sharply and let go of Jace. Now that the immediate danger of another party with the _lessers_ was off the docket, she started worrying about him. Actually, Jace and Wrath, to be more precise. Another human coming into his mansion. Shit. This might be as bad as the _lessers_.

"Jace, you're going into something... you've never seen before. Never been a part of but trust me, I'll take care of you."

Jace looked out the window as the big car started up a narrow mountain road. Rio's words rolled around his head. Despite the sounds of reassurance, he still had an ice cold rock in the pit of his stomach. He realized as the trees rolled by that he couldn't see them clearly. He rubbed his eyes, figuring the fight had messed with his vision but nothing helped. Add to that, a fog rolled in and it was like trying to see through a sheet of gauze. Like no matter which direction he faced, the scenery in front of him was pulled away, moved somewhere else.

He snapped his head around, the question sharp in his eyes. Rio shrugged and shook her head a little.

"Don't bother trying," she said flatly. "You can't penetrate it."

"Penetrate what?"

She shook her head again and held her hand out to him. He gripped her palm tightly and waited.

They pulled to a stop in a garage. As Jace climbed out, he saw a black Escalade, a purple GTO and a gray Porsche Carrera 4S lined up beside them. Rio took his hand and they headed for a door off to one side of the large space.

Jace looked at the black camera pods spaced along the tunnel stretching out in front of them. He was pretty sure all the starts and stops before they'd landed meant they'd passed through a series of gates. Put the two together and it definitely gave credence to this being a government setup. He thought back to what Rio had said about taking care of him and the ice cold rock was suddenly a boulder. The two huge males in front of them pushed through a door and Jace stumbled to a stop. They were in the courtyard and Rio knew how the sight hit him.

The fountain sparkled in the moonlight, the tinkling splash and gurgle soothing. Off to their left was a stone building that looked like some rich guy's guesthouse. The stone and heavy oak door weren't particularly inviting for long stays and definitely looked a little much for guest space. But what sucked his breath away was to his right and made him want to revise his evaluation of this being a government hideout.

The mansion was huge. A four story job that looked like something out of a Goth horror movie, all cold, gray stone with barb wire rolls running along the line of the twenty foot high wall surrounding them. But those cameras spread along the roof line and trained on the courtyard had him swinging back to believing in the government.

They crossed to the huge door in front of them. Qhuinn rang a bell and immediately a lock was sprung. Jace saw a small vestibule and a camera monitor beside the second door. Once Rio pulled the first door closed behind them John punched a button on the monitor. They heard a bell ring inside and a moment later there was a click and the inside door swung open.

"Welcome home, sires, madam."

Jace cocked an eyebrow at the old man in the butler's suit bowing in front of them. He was old, the layers of wrinkles and long, loose jowls giving his face the appearance of melting wax. But the wide smile and bright joy flooding the face brought Jace's attention to the man's absolute pleasure in life and he couldn't stop smiling in return.

Jace was speechless as his eyes traveled around the magnificent foyer. A spectacular ceiling mural three stories up – my god, horses, warriors and angels – and the mosaic tile under his feet was a huge apple tree in full bloom. The room looked like the inside of a giant Faberge egg with the crystal draped wall sconces and gold gilt mirror frames and marble columns. Marble columns? This could _not_ be a government safe house.

 _Let's go_ , John signed and pointed up the stairs.

Rio knew what that meant. They had to go to Wrath immediately. The group had only taken three or four steps across the room when she caught movement off to the side.

"Holy shit," Rhage's deep voice slid through the air. "John, what the hell's going on?"

John turned to the huge brother with a sigh but Rio caught his hands as he raised them.

"Take him up to Wrath," she told him. "I'll explain."

John hesitated then nodded. Jace watched her as John and Qhuinn steered him up the stairs.

Rio crossed to the billiards room just as V and Butch stepped up behind Rhage to see what was going on.

"She brought the human," he murmured to them.

"We ran into _lessers_ as we were leaving the club."

"What?" Butch snapped.

The tension immediately flooded the room. Rhage paced, his molars crunching the Tootsie Pop he'd just unwrapped. V shoved his hands through his hair then fired up a hand-rolled.

"Who was there?" he barked out, exhaling the aromatic tobacco sharply. "Anyone hurt?"

"Rehv had left early for some meeting. We got outside and Trez and iAm took off. Xhex got her bike and was just going to walk Jace around the corner to his car when four of them showed up at the end of the alley."

"Fuck," Rhage growled. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fabulous," she responded mockingly. "Seriously, guys, we're got out fine. Four of them, four of us."

"The human fought?" V narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

"What the hell did you want him to do, stand around and die?" she snapped back. "It's not like staying clear was going keep him from knowing what the hell was going on. He did his own share of cutting and he saw the blood. He saw the trips back to the Omega. So at this point we couldn't very well leave him out there."

The three vampires exchanged looks and Rio shook her head. "I gotta get upstairs. I don't want Wrath eating Jace alive without me."

She walked swiftly to the staircase then sprinted up two at a time. Qhuinn appeared just as she rounded the corner.

"I'm coming. Is anybody dead yet?"

Qhuinn slanted a harsh look at her and stepped close, his hand on her back. Jace was sitting in front of Wrath's desk. John was standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's about fucking time you showed up," the king snarled. "Is this place turning into a fucking hotel, or what?"

"Wrath, it's not like we set this shit up tonight ourselves," she protested. "But when they started coming towards us, what the hell were we left with?"

"John says your friend fought."

Despite the black wraparound glasses, Wrath's eyes bored into Rio.

"That's right." She nodded. "I had Xhex shoot him a knife so he could defend himself. Like I just told V, what the hell else was he supposed to do? Stand around and die?"

John and Qhuinn waited, their eyes on the king. Rio felt Jace's fingers brush the edge of her thigh lightly. A quiet contact, a connection made without being overt about it. Rio wasn't as subtle. She'd told the king to kiss her ass once already. She wasn't afraid to do it again if she had to. She reached out and laid her hand on Jace's neck.

"John and Qhuinn say the fight went down smooth. Only the four bastards and no serious injuries. Not even to your friend."

She nodded once and kept waiting. Wrath sat quietly for several minutes then slammed his fist on the desk and shoved his hands through his hair. He turned his head slightly and Rio knew he was pinning Jace.

"You're in the same spot with him that you were with me," she said. "Scrubbing him won't work. He's too strong."

Wrath's lips peeled back from his teeth. The long white fangs were very clear. Jace stiffened and Rio's hand cranked down on his neck.

"I don't wear this fucking ring because it makes me look pretty," he snarled, waving around the huge black diamond he wore on the middle finger of his right hand. "This means _I'm_ the fucking king, not you. _I_ make the decisions in this house."

"That you do, my lord. And I told you that this could be temporary. Just because I've lost one roof doesn't mean I can't find another one. And I also told you having this man back with me was going to change what my life here's become."

John reached out and caught her arm in protest.

"No, John," she said softly, not looking away from Wrath. "It has to be said. I owe Jace this. Without him, I wouldn't be here. I'd have been lost a long time ago. I'm not leaving him out there with nothing between him and a straight road to hell."

She kept her eyes on the king, her determination crystal clear. He didn't look away, either, but his snarl faded and she could feel him digging in, searching her out.

"I'd rather you didn't scrub him when we go. I can guarantee you he won't say a thing. I know that's not your usual way to deal with this but if you can trust me, you can trust him the same way. It'll be easier for him to protect himself if he knows what to look for because I can't be with him every moment. He can't stay alert if he doesn't know he needs to be, even if the _lessers_ are far and few between."

More long moments spun out. Wrath finally slumped back in his chair, cursing softly as he ran his hands through his hair.

"You can't leave, Rio."

 


	20. Chapter 20

She frowned, her hand dropping from Jace's neck. "What does that mean?"

" Well, according to your boys here, apparently this fight wasn't business as usual. Not on your end, at least, anyway. Reminds me of the first run-in you had with _lessers_. Sounds like some stuff needs talking about."

"So fine, we talk. Shouldn't mean I can't leave after." She saw the frustration cross his face and her breathing faltered. "Wrath? Why can't I leave?"

"Lassiter says you have to stay."

"What?" She sank slowly into the chair next to Jace.

Jace saw the expression on her face and grabbed her hand. "Rio? Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Wait a minute, Jace. Wrath, what –" She cleared her throat a couple of times before she could continue. "What is Lassiter talking about?"

She heard John and Qhuinn pacing around behind her but she kept her eyes on Wrath. She started to feel dizzy and she clamped down on Jace's hand without realizing it till he squeezed back.

"It's apparently like V's visions or some damn thing," Wrath growled. "All he would say is that we need you. That you have to stay."

Rio dropped her eyes. She felt the pressure build in her, locking down her muscles, kicking her heart out of its rhythm. She was vaguely aware that Jace was calling her name. She felt his hand slide up her arm and cup her cheek. It was like observing someone from a distance. Even when he pulled her up out of her chair and into his arms, she still couldn't respond to him. All she could think about was Lassiter. And wonder what he was doing.

"Alright, this is enough," Jace snapped, staring at Wrath. His arms were tight around Rio, his hand buried in her hair. "Let her go, whatever you're doing to her."

"I'm not doing anything, believe me," Wrath reassured him. "Rio, your friend can stay. We'll get into the rules later. Get the hell out of here for a while. I think we can all use a drink."

Jace slid his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the study. John raised his hands, his movements graceful, and as he passed them Qhuinn translated.

"The bar's downstairs, if you're interested."

The sounds of conversation broken by the periodical crack of pool balls drifted out of a room to the right of the staircase and the group headed in that direction. Jace stopped outside the door and caught Rio's face in his hands.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

She nodded, her eyes shimmery with unshed tears. "Come on. I could use that drink and you could use some down time before we get into all of this."

The talk broke off as they entered the billiards room but as soon as Rio waved her hand at everyone, the awkwardness drifted away. Beth was at the pool table with Butch and it was apparent that her and Rhage were taking on Vishous and his boy, as usual. And while Butch kicked ass on that table against everyone else, Beth reigned as queen over more than just the race.

Mary, Rhage's _shellan_ , was settled on a sofa with another woman holding a small infant girl. Rio introduced her as Bella and the young was Nalla. This was Zsadist's family. His _shellan_ and daughter. She was beautiful, her tall graceful body and long mahogany hair lending her an exotic beauty and Jace wondered what she saw in that hard, scarred fighter. But when Z entered the room a few minutes later and bent to kiss her, he saw the love and complete devotion on her face. He obviously had something inside him that he didn't share with the rest of the world.

Rio paced the room slowly, drinking often from the squat crystal glass in her hand. She answered a lot of Jace's questions about everything and all of Wrath's questions about the fight earlier but she couldn't settle anywhere. She knew the boys were watching her in concern but she couldn't focus her energies.

No, that was wrong. She was focusing very clearly but the object of her focus wasn't here. And she couldn't stand it another moment.

Conversation dried up as she almost tossed her glass onto the coffee table and strode out into the foyer. She stopped in the middle of the room and threw back her head.

"Lassiter!" she called brokenly. "Where are you?"

The silence held on the edge of a knife for long seconds. Rio stood rigidly, her fists clenched at her sides, her chest heaving, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Lassiter?" she pleaded.

And like being carried on a wind in summer, she caught the smell of fresh air and sunlight and she closed her eyes, breathing deep. When she opened them he was there, halfway across the room, his radiant glow like a golden halo surrounding him. She heard a sharp gasp behind her and knew without turning it was Jace.

"Jesus Christ, Rio, it's him." His voice was awestruck. "The guy you've been dreaming about since you were a kid. I've still got the picture you drew of him."

She nodded, her eyes locked on the fallen angel. His stunning beauty stole her breath, as it always did, and she stumbled forward one step. She couldn't go any further and she reached out. The angel's glow flared like the sun and he was in front of her in the blink of an eye. He dragged her against him and as she wound her arms around his neck she felt the heat from his aura sink deep into her. She knew they were vanishing from the sight of everyone in the mansion and Jace's fading shout was the last thing she heard.

"Rio, you were attacked tonight," his voice was low, harsh, as he buried his face into her neck. "Are you alright?"

"You know I am, Lassiter." She held him tight. "You always know how I am. Oh god, I've missed you so much. Why are you avoiding me? And now Wrath is telling me that you said I can't leave Caldwell. What's going on?"

They were back in the small forest glade. The sun was warm and the air was still sweet and none of it mattered. The creature in her arms was the only thing that mattered.

Lassiter lifted her around the waist and took three steps. Rio felt the tree trunk at her back then he caught her wrists and stretched them over her head. He swept his other hand down her face and over her throat. She realized that he'd willed away her clothes again and when his hand closed over her bare breast she gasped. Her back arched and he dropped his head, drawing her nipple into his mouth.

She moaned and when he released her wrists she grabbed his hair, her fingers sinking deep into the soft black and blonde mass. He turned his head, drawing in the other nipple, his tongue flicking the hard nub before suckling her breast deeper into his hot mouth. Rio reached down to the bottom of his t-shirt and slid her hands under to his warm skin. As she ran her palms over the hard ridges of his six pack and up over his muscled pecs her body shuddered with need.

Lassiter's big hands closed around her waist and he lifted her. She dug her fingers into his shoulders as he turned and then he was carrying her down to the ground.

"Lassiter!" she screamed as he pushed her thighs apart and covered her core with his mouth.

Her fingers sank into his hair, twisting, pulling him closer, and her hips bucked. She heard a low growl roll out of him as he devoured her, his tongue thrusting deep and hard, his lips sucking her into his mouth.

"Come for me, baby," he demanded. "I need to feel you come against my mouth right now."

He pushed three fingers deep into her heat as first his tongue then his teeth worked against her clit and Rio instantly exploded. She screamed again as he worked her hard, pulling her through her climax, and before the spasms were done he arched himself over her. Palming his huge thick cock he guided himself to her core and drove himself into her.

"You are everything, Rio," he growled, his hips pistoning in and out of her heat. "I am lost without you."

"Lassiter, don't ever let go," she begged, tears running down her face. "You've always been part of me even when I only knew you in my dreams."

Lassiter punched his fists into the spongy moss on either side of her head and abandoned all control. He pounded into her and the friction of his hard cock against the slick walls of her sheath had her gasping for breath. She wound her legs around his hips and met his thrusts with her own fast rhythm.

Finally Lassiter dropped onto Rio, his arms winding around her tightly. He pulled almost all the way from her then sank into her right to the base of his pulsing erection. Once, twice, three times and with a roar his release exploded up his shaft.

As he kicked deep inside her, Rio went over the top again. And as her muscles spasmed and clenched around him like a fist they clung to each other and faded into the white.

Rio heard the hard tangle of voices when Lassiter brought her back, Jace's sharp fear rising above the others. The angel kept hold of her hand as they crossed the foyer to the billiards room. She paused in the doorway. Qhuinn spotted her and nudged Jace.

"Rio!"

He strode across the room and when he reached for her, Lassiter let go of her hand. Jace swept her up and swung her around.

"Are you alright?" he whispered against her ear.

"I'm sure everyone told you I was ok and that I would be back sometime."

Jace kept her close as he crossed to the couch. He pulled her down beside him, his eyes shooting the angel a brief hard look. He kept touching her; her hair, her shoulder, her hand.

Lassiter crossed the room, leaning himself against the wall beside the French doors. He crossed his arms, his legs spread, his head bent. Rio was uneasy at the distance between them, feeling his withdrawal from her.

John and Qhuinn were both off tonight, holding down a couple of big wing chairs, drinks in their hands. Beth and Mary were on one of the sofas. Rio knew the males would be out hunting but the females had been keeping vigil for her.

"What have you been told?" she asked Jace, clamping down on the spasms tearing through her stomach.

Jace looked around the room. "I think they all covered most of it pretty well. A couple of these guys got my key and picked up my stuff from the motel and brought my car back. I'll tell you, Rio, even after I've seen it I still don't know how to take it. I mean, vampires? And a fallen angel."

He shook his head, looking over at the radiant immortal across the room.

"Rio, you've been dreaming of an angel all your life?"

She nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from Lassiter. She saw his jaw clench as Jace slid a hand down her hair.

"Rio, what are you doing?" he said softly, catching her by the neck and giving her a little shake.

She looked at him, frowning in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"What are you doing sitting here with me?" He flashed her a small smile.

When she continued frowning he gave her a little nudge and shot his chin in the direction of the angel.

"I was terrified for you when you disappeared. But they told me what was going on." He looked around the room. "And I'm relieved to see that you're ok. And the rest of the questions will keep," he said.

She leaned forward pressing a quick kiss against his mouth, then crossed the room fast. Lassiter dropped his arms when she stopped in front of him, the brilliant silver eyes blazing down at her.

"Lassiter, stop dropping me like I'm too hot to hold," she whispered.

"You know I have to," his gorgeous voice slid over her like silk. "You know why."

She shook her head. "I know what you said but I don't know why."

Rio didn't hear Mary and Beth leave. She barely felt Jace's hand brush her back. Lassiter's eyes flipped up to him. The angel pulled in a tight breath and when Rio laid her hand on his arm she could feel the energy humming through him. In a few seconds they were alone, the quiet almost an echo bouncing around them.

"Talk to me, Lassiter. You said I wasn't done with the other and He wants that finished first. We're talking about Jace, right. What does God want finished? And why did you tell Wrath that I can't leave here?"

Lassiter held her eyes but didn't say a word. Rio gritted her teeth as she waited for a response of some kind. Something. Anything.

"Lassiter, answer me. Tohr says you won't shut up most of the time so why now? Do I bore you so badly you've got nothing to say to me?"

The angel's stunning eyes flared like a sun spot, the light so bright Rio had to close hers against the stabbing pain. But still not a word from him. Her fists clenched at her sides. She felt her frustration build till she wanted to break something. She wanted to kick the crap out of the nearest chair then take one of the broken legs and beat something else till that whatever broke. The only thing that stopped her was she couldn't bear to leave such a mess for Fritz and his staff to clean up. Oh, and the fact that the chairs in this damn room were heavy enough that the only thing she'd actually break would be her foot.

She snarled futilely, spinning away from Lassiter. Shoving open the French doors she stormed across the lawn, her frustration boiling out of her in harsh exhales. She'd only gone half a dozen steps when she was grabbed from behind and slammed to the lawn. The growling was feral, wild, as the huge body crawled over her and her jeans were ripped off her legs. Rio could feel the heat from Lassiter's scorching eyes melt through her bones as he grabbed her t-shirt and split it down the middle, tearing the pieces from her like loose rags.

Once again he'd left her with no underwear in the glade and she was bared to him now. He was too out of control to even will away his clothing and as he tore off everything Rio couldn't breathe at the sight of his magnificent muscled body and the massive erection jutting from his hips. Lassiter grabbed her thighs, his fingers digging deep into her tight muscles, and split her wide. With barely a heartbeat's pause, he grabbed her ass, lifted her high and impaled her.


	21. Chapter 21

There was no other way to describe his taking of her. His throbbing cock was a battering ram and Rio screamed till her throat broke open. She was a leaf in a hurricane, her body hammered and buffeted as he took her violently. She grabbed at his arms, digging her nails into him till she drew blood and still he pounded her. He drew strength from the pain she inflicted on him and his growl still rolled from his thick chest, a power he couldn't leash.

She screamed his name as her orgasm exploded, a wild animal tearing at her. Rio had never felt anything like this before and when she reached for him with some half-formed idea of grounding herself, he grabbed her wrists and slammed them to the ground. Unfamiliar words tumbled from his lips as he thrust into her over and over, taking everything from her.

Somewhere in the middle of this ferocious ripping asunder Rio felt the change. Lassiter pulled back from the insanity tearing at him and his overwhelming love leapt forward. He released her wrists, dragging her against him as his hips slowed their savagery. Rio wound her arms around his broad shoulders feeling the smooth slide of his golden skin under her palms. As her hands explored his stunning, totally male body he drew her closer. He sucked and bit her neck till she could barely breath and now the words he spoke hoarsely in her ear were very clear.

"I love you, Rio, you are my strength here in this place and I can't survive without you and your love."

He pushed his hands into her long auburn hair, cupping her head, his thumbs sliding over her high cheekbones. He kissed her deeply, his mouth taking hers over and over, long drugging kisses that left her weak.

"You are mine, stay with me always. I will keep you safe, I will take you to the heavens through love and passion, I will make you strong and invincible for the fight ahead. And we will always be together."

"Don't let go, Lassiter. Don't ever let go," she cried brokenly, tears running down her face as she held him tight.

His hips surged forward, his shaft hot steel sliding against the slick walls of her sheath. The friction sucked his breath in with a hiss. Passion tightened his face, clenching his jaw, the twin suns that were his eyes burning down at her before he squeezed them shut.

God, he was so beautiful with erotic agony twisting his face. Rio reached up, her palm sliding over his glowing skin and she dug her fingers into the rock of his jaw. His eyes stayed closed, shutters drawn on the world and his teeth bared. She grabbed his throat and squeezed. He opened his eyes, everything in him pouring out of those glowing orbs like a river of fiery sensation.

"Now, Lassiter," she demanded, hoarse, raw. "I'm ready and I want your fire at the same time."

Lassiter roared and as his hips pounded into her she felt the orgasm roll up his cock like a train and just the thought of it was the match to the fuse of her own climax. She slammed her palms to the ground, her fingers digging into the grass as the explosion took them both apart.

Rio lay against Lassiter, her head on his chest, feeling invincible in the shelter of his massive arms. It was an odd thought to have as she bathed in the glow of the hard passion they'd just lived through but she couldn't push it away. Being this close to the angel made her feel – immortal.

"How is it nobody's rushing us to find out what all the noise was about?" she murmured.

"Because nobody heard anything." She looked up and he brushed his mouth over hers. "Do you think I would let anyone see you naked, in the throes of the passion we share? That's for me alone, mi corazón en la sangre. We are not here. Not in sight, not in sound."

My heart's blood.

Everything in her seized tight and after an eternity, everything let go with a loose rush. Scalding tears poured down her face and it didn't matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tighten down the shaking tearing her apart.

"Shh, baby," he whispered, wrapping around her like the sunlight he was. "What else could you be? I've been waiting for you – forever."

She looked up at him, her eyes swimming, huge, and she caught the back of his neck. "You've been in my head since I first ran from home. Since Jace pulled me out of that hell hole. And since that time something's changed inside me, too. I know stuff and I don't know how. I… _feel_ stuff. And when I'm close to you, I feel strong, powerful. Like I'm more than I could possibly be."

Rio tried to dig into Lassiter's mind for what she wanted, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere near what she needed. She dragged him down and Lassiter sank his fingers deep into her hair. He took her mouth, his lips warm and firm, his tongue stroking hers till her head swam. He raised his head slowly and waited for the rest of it.

"What have you done to me?" she whispered. "What am I?"

"I've done nothing. But you are who you're supposed to be."

"What exactly is that, Lassiter?" She was afraid to ask.

"Mi corazón en la sangre." His beautiful voice was almost a purr.

Rio watched the fire in his stunning eyes flare and dim and she gasped as the heat slid over her skin in a caress. The longer his eyes held her, the stronger the caress grew. She felt fingers stroke her skin and the fire in his eyes now consumed her body.

"Damn you, angel," Rio's curse was raw sensuality.

She pushed against him and in one motion rolled him onto his back and straddled his thighs. His magnificent cock rose up in front of her and she grasped him with both hands. He arched his spine and his head kicked back and before he could do more than throw out a sharp hiss, she interlaced her fingers together and drew a long stroke up his shaft.

 _"Fuuuck,_ Rio," he gasped. "What are you doing to me?"

"Whatever I want," she ground out, lust and love ravaging her control.

She was lost, slammed by the torrent of emotions raging through her and she turned them loose on the stunning creature under her. Tightening her clasped hands, she pumped them up and down Lassiter's rock hard erection, watching the large purple head breach her fists over and over. Her eyes glowed at his white hot arousal and when his chest hitched and heaved his agony drove her harder. She pumped him two or three more times then slid her body down his legs and bending over, sucked him deep into the heat of her mouth.

Lassiter shouted hoarsely and grabbed her hair in his fists. His hips bucked under her, driving his shaft deep down her throat. Rio flattened her tongue along his cock and sucked hard, creating a vacuum that drove Lassiter out of his mind. She slid her hands under him and grabbing his ass pulled him to her. He thrust into her over and over, his hips lifting off the ground, till finally he pulled her roughly from him. He lifted her over him like she weighed nothing. It took only seconds to drop her soaked, needy core over his throbbing cock and Rio cried out as shudders rippled through her, twisting her muscles into tight knots.

Lassiter rolled, taking her under him and pinning her to the ground. He needed to take her hard and he pounded against her, his biceps bunched, his shoulders tight and curled in on himself.

"Lassiter!" Rio screamed his name, begging for his release, frantic for his heat to fill her.

Lassiter felt the shockwave roll down his spine, tightening his lower back. He clenched his jaw and slammed his fists into the ground on either side of her head, thrusting hard. And then the release he lived for, the release she craved, roared up his cock and exploded through her taking Rio with him.

"We've had this discussion before." Wrath shook his head.

Rio shrugged. "I know but it's already happening. And you know I'm handling myself."

Wrath slammed his fist on the desk. Rio slanted her eyes at the phone as the receiver jumped loose, a jingle of bells floating out through the room. V leaned over and flipped the handset back into place.

"Getting jumped coming out of work is not the same thing as going out fighting and you damn well know it."

Though Wrath was nearly blind, the king didn't miss much. Rio could swear he was glaring at her through his black wraparounds and she held his gaze as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a dog collar. Butch choked on a cough and from the edge of her sightline Rio saw Rhage's stunning face crack into a huge grin.

Rio tossed the collar on Wrath's desk. She wasn't certain he'd catch what it was with his nearly non-existent sight and she wanted to make sure he knew what she was getting at. Wrath's hand touched the leather, the studs, and when he hit the buckle he growled.

"Ok, I'm outta here." She jumped up. "We'll talk more later."

Leaving the dog collar on Wrath's desk, Rio strode out of the room hearing Rhage's laugh follow her through the door.

Jace was pacing the hall outside the study. His head snapped around and he blocked her approach in three steps. "I heard yelling," he said. "Any problems?"

Rio grinned and punched him lightly in the chest. "Nothing any different than any other day around here. Come on, let's go see what's happening in the billiards room. The boys are having a meeting." She caught his hand and pulled him along behind her.

Three of the mansions' _shellans_ were already in residence. Beth was bent over the pool table, her eye on her shot. Mary stood off to one side, chalking her cue tip. Watching the game from one of the couches, Bella sat with her young cooing in her arms. Pudgy little hands waved wildly as she tried to catch her _mahmen's_ long dark hair swinging tantalizingly in front of her. Rio stepped up to the table and crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she judged the table layout. Beth called her shot and with a sharp clack there was one less ball left on the table.

Rio grinned over her shoulder at Jace. "Beth's the only one in the house who can kick Butch's ass. Hard." She headed for the bar. "Gives V twice the reason to be pissed."

Rio turned as the scent of the ocean swept through the room and she saw Jace staring at the door. With a grin, she raised her hand in a wave at the stunning blond beauty in the slim black slacks and black turtleneck.

"Hey, Marissa, off to Safe Place?"

"I am." She nodded then turned a questioning smile on Jace. "Is this your friend?"

"It is. This is Jace Bennett." Rio reached out and caught Jace's chin. She turned his head, breaking his eye contact with the woman. "Jace, this is Marissa, Butch's _shellan_."

 _"Shellan?"_ he murmured, his focus scattered by the female's beauty.

"Wife," Rio clarified. "Close your mouth, say hi politely, and don't let Butch catch you looking at her like that. Ever."

Marissa's laugh was like the tinkle of crystal. Color washed through Jace's face as he pulled himself together and bowed formally. Marissa returned the gesture and with a few quick words to Beth and a wave, she left.

"Hey, you want to go watch a movie?" Rio tapped Jace. "There's a theatre upstairs and a whack load of DVDs to choose from."

Jace grinned. "Godzilla?"

Rio groaned and rolled her eyes. "You fit in here way too easily. Let's go, boy wonder."

"Oh, my god, this is fantastic!"

Jace's eyes widened as he checked out the theater spread out in front of them. The seats were as wide as a jumbo jet's 1st Class with thick padding and a cup holder in each seat. Three rows terraced down and angled off like wings from a center aisle and bracketed by an aisle on each end. There was a theater quality snack bar complete with every kind of candy and chocolate bar right down to Twizzlers and Swedish Fish. There was a pop machine, even a popcorn maker in the corner.

Rio held out her hand and snickered at the groan of male satisfaction as his eyes scanned the thousands of DVDs lined along the back wall. After long minutes of indecision, she jabbed him in the ribs and he yanked out a disk sleeve. She plugged the disk into the machine and they settled in with the comfortable familiarity of long years together.

"You know, I just realized something," Jace said as they headed upstairs after Last Meal. Rio looked up at him as he slipped his arm around her shoulder. "Life in this place is ass backwards." He looked down at her and smiled at the question pulling her face into a frown. "Well, think about it. Vampires, no sun. Everybody sleeps during the day, even if it is in beds, and works at night. That could take some getting used to."

Rio shrugged. "I'm already doing it. And in case you didn't notice, you're going to bed and the sun is coming up. In fact –"

She trailed off, holding up a finger as they passed the second floor sitting room. Jace heard a soft whirring sound and saw the moonlight fade out.

"There go the shutters."

Jace smiled and shook his head as they carried on down the hall. He jerked to a stop when they rounded the corner. Light flashed like a bank of kliegs then settled into a bright glow and Jace pulled in a deep breath at the sight of the fallen angel standing in the hallway between Rio's room and Jace's.

"Do you have a problem with me?" Jace straightened, his eyes chilling when the angel didn't move.

Lassiter stood with his arms crossed over his massive chest, his stance wide, and shot a pointed look at Jace's door.

"You're kidding me, right?"

The angel remained silent. Jace dropped his arm and thrust a hand through his hair. He glared at Lassiter, who stayed exactly where he was, still without saying a word.

"Rio, this is alright with you?"

"He's just trying to keep you out of my bedroom." She smiled gently.

"I've been in your bedroom a lot of times."

He snapped his head up at the hard growl and sucked in a breath at the expression on the angel's face.

"Not here, you haven't." Rio stepped in front of him.

Blocking Jace, she turned to the angel, waving a hand at him to keep him back. In a quick move, Lassiter grabbed her and pulled her to him.

"Rio!"

Jace took a step toward them but Rio threw up a hand. Lassiter wound his arms around her, bending his head and curling around her.

"He can't be with you like that," his gorgeous voice was unnaturally husky, strained. "No matter what's required, I can't let him be with you like that."

Rio wrapped her arms around his head, cradling him to her. His heat washed through her as he caressed her, one hand sliding down her back and over her hips.

"Lassiter, don't tear yourself apart," Rio crooned softly, stroking his soft hair, his broad shoulders. "Jace and I have never gone there. I know we're closer than most brothers and sisters but we've never taken it that far."

"Rio, I can't let him get that close to you," Lassiter spoke against her neck. "You're mine and I can't live with that."

"Shh, baby, it's ok. Everything's going to be alright."

Rio tried to turn but Lassiter refused to let go of her. He pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his huge arms around her. As she looked at Jace, the angel dropped his head, his face turned into her neck.

"Jace, it's ok, really. I'm alright, you know that." The look she gave him was filled with knowledge, the reminder that this creature had been with her since childhood. "Please, don't push it."

He nodded.

"Heads up, angel," he warned. "I'm giving her a goodnight kiss."

Lassiter's arms tightened around her but he didn't move. Jace stopped in front of them and took a deep breath. Rio reached up and laid her hand on his cheek. The situation was totally bizarre, with one male wrapped around her from behind and another reaching for her face but he wasn't leaving without giving her a kiss.

He bent down to her, not caring that Lassiter would hear him. "I hope nobody else hits this hallway. This is starting to look like an orgy in the making. And don't growl at me, angel," he warned tightly. "I don't care what you think. Rio and I are family. Have been for a lot of years."

He leaned down and pressed his mouth gently to hers. As the kiss lengthened, he felt the huge angel's jealousy and anger vibrate right through Rio's body. But the glowing male kept silent. Jace pulled back and brushed a finger down her nose.

"Goodnight, babe. I guess I should say good day."

With a last look at her smile, he stepped into his room and closed the door.


	22. Chapter 22

Rio took a deep breath and reached behind her to Lassiter's head. "Lassiter, it's ok now."

His arms tightened but he didn't move. She felt the vibration run through him again and she rubbed the powerful forearms wrapped around her rib cage. "Lassiter, baby, you can let go now. He's gone."

With his face still buried in the curve of her neck, he shook his head. His long black and blond hair slid over her arms like silk sending a deep shiver through her. In the next moment he bent down and swung her up into his arms. Rio threw an arm around his neck with a gasp, holding tightly as he strode to her door and wrenched it open. He kicked it shut behind them and then the bed was under her.

Lassiter came down on top of her but all he did was wrap her in his arms and hold her tight. She ran her hands over his thick, soft hair, stroking his back and murmuring softly to him. She wiggled and shifted beneath him till she managed to pull her legs from under his weight. As he settled into the cradle of her hips, Rio wrapped her legs around his waist and held him close.

"Lassiter, what is this about?" she whispered.

He lifted his head and caught her head in his big hands. His eyes burned into hers.

"What's got you so wound? You know what Jace means to me, how our lives are woven together."

"I don't like him that close to you, Rio," his deep silvery voice slid over her. "I don't like the way he touches you."

"Lassiter, it's beneath you to be this authoritarian."

He kissed her deeply then slid off the bed. She watched him pace the room, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He was going to wear a hole in the carpet if he didn't quit and she stepped in front of him, halting his manic movement.

"Stop it, Lassiter. You're wearing me out. Use some of that energy to explain to me what's going on with you."

"Things are… moving forward."

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked.

He shook his head slowly. "Every life, human or vampire, has a predestined path. Everyone has a purpose. Your purpose is moving forward. Your destiny is getting closer."

"Ok, so tell me something I don't know."

He raised an eyebrow and she snorted sharply. She turned away from him, her aggravation growing.

"Lassiter, nothing you've said is a surprise. Neither is any of it clear enough to do me a damn bit of good so try again."

She spun around, frowning in frustration. Lassiter grabbed her, his hands on her ass, and he lifted her sliding her legs around his waist. With one hand holding her up, he grabbed a handful of hair with his other fist and pulled her mouth to his. She gasped when he lifted his head.

"I see some of your path. I know what's expected of some of your future, what you're supposed to accomplish. But where our paths cross, in as much as my love and desire for you is concerned, I can't see clearly what will happen. I know He wants you and Jace finished first. And I can't see when that will be or even what it will be or what happens after."

Rio stared at him, trying to get into his head. "You mean with us."

"Yes! And while I know He brought you to me…" he trailed off and dragged her close again, his face buried in the hollow of her shoulder.

"What, Lassiter? Finish it," she whispered.

"I don't know if He's going to let you stay with me."

The desperation in his voice was a knife through her heart and she wound her arms around him. She murmured soothing sounds as she ran her fingers through the long mass of beautiful, soft hair. He smelled incredible, his scent everywhere as she pressed small kisses over him. He raised his head capturing her mouth as she caressed his face, his lips hard, ruthless in his fear.

"You are mine," his whisper was agony, harsh and despairing. "I can't let you go."

"I love you, Lassiter," Rio breathed against his mouth. "Please stay with me tonight. I know you don't sleep but I need to be in your arms. Please don't let go of me tonight."

Lassiter's chest swelled with hope, a huge breath that burned through him. He carried her down to the bed, willing their clothes away as he pulled her under the covers and tight against his chest. As his hands rode over her skin in caressing, soothing strokes she heard him singing in her head. His gorgeous totally inhuman voice, all silver bells and chimes, filled her with music that could never be described in mere human terms. And as Rio sank into sleep she felt like she'd come home.

The next week started much the same as the week before with a few minor exceptions. For one, Jace followed Rio to work at the club every night. At the end of the week Xhex lost one of her bouncers to family issues and after a quick consult with Rhevenge offered the slot to Jace. He accepted.

Xhex was impressed with his abilities, apparent from the night the _lessers_ jumped them in the alley. Rehvenge was satisfied with her assessment of his usefulness. Jace was happy and relieved to have some direction to his life now. Rio was ecstatic to have him working with her.

It seemed like all the parties involved were thrilled with the way things had turned out.

Lassiter, not so much.

The angel, being what he was, couldn't show up at the club to watch these new doings. At least, not so's anybody could see him, anyway. He did immerse himself in the atmosphere, so to speak, just an added emotion bouncing around in the stew that thickened the air every night.

He didn't go every night, though. After all, he was supposed to be helping Tohrment get his shit back together and he couldn't do that if he was never around for the male. But when he did go he was such a wreck every time he got back to mansion Tohr finally had to say something.

"Hey," Tohr called out as he sat channel surfing one night.

The angel was stomping around the library. He shoved books around on a shelf. He picked up a crystal ashtray from a table only to toss it back down immediately. Tohr shot a quick look over his shoulder to make sure the thing was still in one piece.

Lassiter shoved open the French doors and strode out to the lawn only to spin on his heel and stamp his way back in, banging the door shut behind him. Tohr shook his head, not sure why he was going to bother.

"Hey," he called again. "I'm sure you're the only member on the angel ADHD list but even for you this is over the top. What the hell's doing with you?"

Lassiter said nothing. He just dropped into a wing chair and stared at the ceiling. Tohr frowned when he caught a barely audible sound and realized the angel was growling softly.

"She's working. He's working. That's all that's happening."

Lassiter shot up off the chair and strode for the door. Tohr's hand flashed out and caught the angel's arm as he passed.

"She loves you. You know that, right."

Lassiter didn't respond.

"So, what's doing?"

The silence dragged out for so long Tohr looked up, wondering if the angel was even listening. He saw the tension in the glowing body and realized he could feel fear rolling off the huge ball of light like a cold breeze.

"I don't know yet if I'll be allowed to keep her," he said so softly Tohr had to strain to catch the words.

Lassiter pulled away and left the room and Tohr was surprised to find himself feeling sorry for the big lava lamp.

Rio gave Wrath to the end of the week before she pushed for another face to face on the fighting issue. Life in the mansion was great. Work at the club was fabulous. Having Jace with her in both places was phenomenal. But there was still a hole.

Rio missed the outside world in general. She missed being able to head out any time she felt like it or being able to go wherever she felt like going. Trips to the river to watch the sludge and crap roll up on the banks. Strolls down the mostly empty downtown night streets to check out any new doorway inhabitants. Forays through the alleys looking for the latest secrets dropped in corners or kicked under dumpsters.

She was also feeling more and more a part of the vampire world. She absorbed all the comings and goings. Marissa and Mary's stories about Safe Place and what they were doing to help those in the race who had nowhere else to go for what they needed. Ehlena and Jane talked about their clinic and field work, what parts they could talk about, at any rate, and Rio was fascinated by the inner look at the world of vampire health and welfare. She was accepted enough to even hear some of the Brotherhood's problems: the fights, how many _lessers_ they took down in a fight, what kind of stuff they confiscated in raids, how many new recruits seemed to be showing up lately.

And that was the other part of the hole eating at her. She wanted to fight. She wanted to fight with the Brotherhood.

It wasn't like you had to be a Brother to fight. Not anymore. Xhex and Rehvenge fought with the Brotherhood from time to time. The war was getting big enough and the Brotherhood getting small enough that good fighters were needed no matter who you were.

Unless you were human, that is. And therein lay her problem.

Yeah, Butch had also been human when he'd fallen in with the Brotherhood. And he'd also been sidelined from the physical stuff. At least until he'd found out who he was and had been changed because of it.

After discovering he had vampire blood and was actually related to Wrath, they'd kick started his transition with Wrath's blood and now the Irish cop was a half-breed vampire and the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. And the war's newest weapon.

Rio was pretty sure she wasn't the fulfillment of any prophecy and relatively sure she had no vampire blood hiding anywhere in her past. But she still wanted to fight. She wanted to fight _lessers_. She wanted to help prevent any other civilians from feeling the same terror as the male she'd helped in that alley weeks back.

Nobody should be backed into the paralyzing horror that comes with torture and finally your own slaughter. The Lessening Society was sweeping through the vampire race like a plague. They weren't going to stop until every vampire was gone from the planet. And while that was a bad state of affairs any way you looked at it, the torture of those least able to protect themselves was something choking the sanity out of the king and the protectors who served under him. Because they were now too few to be able to get a foot up on this fight.

It was time to push the king again.

Rio stared at the king, who stared back at her across the huge expanse of his desk. Neither spoke for long minutes and finally Wrath leaned back, his arms crossed over his massive chest.

"Are you going to keep coming in here and interrupting the important shit I should be doing just to keep driving me crazy with this bullshit?" he snapped out in a growl.

She inclined her head and threw him a look she was sure he could interpret, even with the silver framed dark wraparounds he was rocking today.

"I'd have to say that's a yes, my lord," she murmured sweetly. Then she straightened up, her eyes cooling, her smile fading. "Come on, Wrath, you know you need everyone you can get your hands on fighting in this damn war and I want to fight."

Wrath sucked in a huge breath but Rio cut him off before he could launch into his usual shutdown.

"Before you fire off your objections, let's talk about what happened in the last fight. And then let's talk about how Lassiter says I'm supposed to stay."

Rio stopped talking as the low growl let her know he wasn't happy with the reminder of the angel's edict but pushed it to the back burner for the moment.

"Alright. John and your friend both say you seemed to almost talk down one of the _lessers_. They said you approached him unarmed and told him you two should talk about this first. What the hell were you thinking? This is no goddamn way to convince me you should be fighting! You never go into range of a _lesser_ without a weapon drawn."

Rio shrugged, a frown puckering her forehead. "I don't know what to tell you, Wrath. It was an instinct. I knew I could knock him off guard and get closer to him."

"You did the same thing that first fight. You talked your way into the middle of things," Wrath's voice was speculative now as he recalled her first encounter with the slayers.

"I did. It just comes naturally, wanting to handle it like that."

Before she could continue they both heard a light chiming sound and Rio stiffened and turned to the door. She knew what that sound meant. Every nerve in her body tingled like a low level electric current was flowing through her and she was instantly wet, lust and need coursing through her. The door opened with no hesitation and Lassiter strode in.

His eyes went immediately to Rio, the blazing sterling silver locking on her as his nostrils flared, drawing in the scent of her arousal. She knew instantly he was responding to her need as his own gorgeous scent flooded over and through her.

"Ever hear of knocking?" Wrath snarled.

"I have to be here right now," the angel's beautiful voice rolled over them both but his eyes stayed focused on her. "You're talking about her place in this war, her gift. The reason I told you she had to stay."

"Well, let's hear it then."

Lassiter shook his head and moved away, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms over his massive chest, his legs crossed at the ankles and frowned slightly.

"I'll step in when I need to," he said with finality.

Wrath rapped out several harsh curses and slammed his fist on his desk. He thrust his hand through his waist length black hair and finally turned back to Rio. "Alright, let's you and I get back to it, then. What the hell is that kind of behavior about?"

"It's like knowing, without having to think it through, that what I do will give me the advantage I need to make my chances of winning greater. I know my physical strength isn't equal to a male's but the element of surprise that comes with such close proximity balances it out in a lot of ways."

She looked up at the king. He looked back, waiting for more. She jumped to her feet with a sharp exhale and paced back and forth in front of the massive carved desk.

"By getting close before the violence explodes I don't have to fight my way close, you understand? When I watch the Brothers, they use very skilled hand to hand to cause as much damage as they can while trying to destroy each opponent.

"I can fight hand to hand. I like to fight hand to hand. But like I said, because I'm not as strong as a male, I can't wade through as much of it as the Brothers do. So I need to be able to inflict my weakening and then killing strikes as quickly as possible before I lose my advantage and my opportunity."

"Alright, I'll give you that," Wrath conceded. "It makes sense and from what I hear, it seems to work for you. But what I don't get, and you haven't told me, is how you get that close to start with. You talked your way right up to that civilian's side that first fight and according to John and Jace, you did the same thing the other night after you left the club. You took _lessers_ that are trained to kill us on sight and made them hesitate.

"The slayer you tangled with that first night, by all accounts, had been around for a fuck of a long time. Yet not only did you confuse two slayers long enough they were taken out with almost no trouble, but you completely scrambled one who'd been around long enough he should've killed you before you even got more than a foot into that alley. What the hell is that all about?"

Rio stumbled to a stop in front of the desk and after a blank moment, she dropped into her chair with a shrug. "I have no idea." She laughed faintly, the sound hollow. "I've never really thought about it and I have no better explanation now that I am. All I can do is repeat that it all seems to be an instinct in me. I don't know how to explain it and I have no clue where it came from."

Lassiter drew in a sharp, deep breath and they both turned to him.

"This is her gift. Given to her as a child to keep her alive long enough to escape from a brutal home. It was also given to prepare her for this time frame in her life. This war."


	23. Chapter 23

Wrath straightened and even with the dark glasses covering his face Rio could feel the sharpness of his gaze.

"Are you telling me she was meant to be here, meant to fight with us?"

The angel nodded. "Yes. As Butch was destined to assume an important role in this war, so was Rio. You've all felt the inexplicable pull she has on the emotions of everyone in this household. How right from the beginning it's felt like she belongs here, like you've all known her for a long time.

"This is how she gets close to the enemy. The power she's been given allows her to reach into another's emotional center and, in effect, short circuit their instincts for a time. They actually start thinking about whatever she says to them instead of acting automatically on their preprogrammed agendas. That's what gives her the chance to fight effectively."

"Who gave her this 'power', exactly?" Wrath demanded.

Lassiter turned his sun white eyes on the king. "I say God. You may choose to believe it's the Scribe Virgin. Either way, it's a divine gift meant to be used by you."

Wrath turned back to Rio and leaned slowly back in his chair. Rio waited, Lassiter's words leaving her numb.

"As her power is 'activated', in essence, there will also be an increase in her physical strength and her healing capabilities," Lassiter added.

"What?" She spun to face him.

"Not to the extent of the vampire race but beyond what the human race has even at its best."

"To make me a better soldier," Rio spoke softly, her eyes still on the angel.

He nodded, his gaze riveted to hers.

"Shit," Wrath muttered under his breath. He pushed up his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He heaved a huge sigh then waved a hand at Rio. "Get the hell out of here. Let the club know you're on rotation tomorrow night. I expect you here for the meeting after First Meal."

Rio rapped her knuckles on the desk in satisfaction and jumped up. "Thanks, Wrath. I need this. And I'll give you my best."

He nodded in defeat, with respect. "I know you will."

Rio stepped back from the desk then stopped. A small frown of confusion swept over her face in a blink and she acceded to the pull inside her. The one turning her back to the king and bowing low.

He watched her hold the position and his chest tightened as he realized what she was waiting for. He stood and stretched out his right hand. The one with the large black diamond settled on his middle finger. The symbol of his throne.

Rio caught his fingers lightly and pressed her lips to the ring. The offering of her honor and respect of his position, his power. Wrath laid his hand on her head and unfamiliar words flowed over her in a deep, guttural voice. His acceptance in the Old Language of her given allegiance and the acknowledgement of her place as one of his warriors.

Rio felt deep emotion choking her as she released his hand and stepped back. A part of her felt like she should stay bowed, that she didn't deserve to lift her head in his presence. But another part, a stronger part, was flooded by heat, power. She was honored to be in this male's presence, to be offering herself to him to be used in this godforsaken war for the safety and continuation of his race. And that honor shot through her spine, straightening her, hardening her like the blade she would use for the defense of him and his. And as she left the study she realized his words of acceptance now made her also one of his.

She knew Lassiter was behind her as she headed down the hall. He was so close she could feel his heat burning through her and as she reached her bedroom he stepped into her. She gasped as his arms shot around her and he pushed her into the door. The length of his body was granite against hers as he rubbed against her; hard, aggressive, demanding.

"Lassiter," she breathed, trying to push away from the panel in front of her.

With a frustrated growl, he wrapped an arm around her waist and twisted open the door knob. She heard the slam behind her then was dropped on the bed, face down. Before she could move, her jeans were ripped from her legs and a large fist was wrapped in her hair, shoving her face into the bed.

Her heart hammered in her chest but it wasn't fear sucking away her sense of balance, of being grounded. It was lust – hard, driving, suffocating in its overwhelming weight. Her need of this gorgeous, unearthly creature was without boundaries, without logic. She would never get enough of him and she needed him to take her this way. With the same ruthless fury that fueled her lust, her need.

He let go of her hair and yanked her arms out to either side of her, wide, palms spread on the bed. Then he grabbed her hips and jerked them up, her ass raised high in front of the open furnace of his heat. Rio turned her head to the side to gulp in air but when she tried to push herself to her knees her hands wouldn't move. She tried to pull her knees in to her but there was no movement in her legs, either.

"Lassiter, let me go," she cried then buried her face in the bed to muffle the scream that tore from her.

With one movement - one hard, violent thrust - he was deep in her, his long thick cock hammering against her womb. She cried, she whimpered, she begged to be released, to be allowed to touch him as he took everything from her. The only sounds he made were the deep growls from the back of his throat that always drove her crazy. He kept her restrained under him, the invisible ties holding her spread-eagled under him as he ravished her – with his hands and with his cock. Then with his mouth.

Her orgasm rushed through her like a storm and before she was finished, he pulled from her and plunged his face between her thighs. She screamed into the bed again as he devoured her. He licked her, he sucked her drenched lips into his mouth, he thrust his tongue deep into her heat again and again till her consciousness bled away like the life from the dying. And as another orgasm tore through her like a razor's edge, he rose over her immobile body and shoved himself into her again. He was huge, growing, expanding, his cock massive with his desire for her and Rio thought he had to rip her to shreds. There was no way she could take him in.

But she did. Her need for this creature, the lust that raged out of control every time she got near him, loosened her, opened her for him. Her heat softened her like butter letting him sink into her till he was lost.

She was still tight. Tight enough to drag at him, the friction driving him mad. He hissed sharply, crazed with his need of her. He bent over her, his arms wrapping around her. His lips were hot on her neck, his teeth sharp on her skin, as his hips pistoned into her and suddenly Rio's arms were free. She crossed her arms over his, reveling in the power of the muscles flexing under his smooth skin.

"Lassiter, you're killing me," she cried brokenly.

"No." His deep, beautiful voice soaked into her skin. "I'm loving you like no one has ever loved you before. Like no one can ever love you again. I know you can feel it in every touch, in every kiss, in every stroke of my cock. You are mine. And I'm yours, now and forever."

Rio cried out again as Lassiter pulled from her. He flipped her over and spread her thighs as he sank into her again. Rio wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Lassiter pulled her close as he took her hard and within moments his thick biceps flexed, his broad shoulders bunched, and as his release exploded from him he kicked his head back.

Rio loved the way his beautiful face tightened with lust, with passion, every time he took her and she sank her fingers deep into his long gorgeous hair as he bucked inside her. Her chest hitched once as everything in her tightened and then he took her over the top again with him.

"Alright, that's it."

Wrath sat back. The expressions passing over each of the Brothers at the king's explanation of Rio's presence were as varied as the Brothers themselves. But on all the faces, there was one common look - complete acceptance.

There was no doubt the Brothers were worried that she was a female about to get caught up in their violence. It was instinct for them. But nobody could deny that she wasn't the only female fighting. Xhex fought often. And there had been others over the centuries.

The warriors were also drawn to her by the very gift that was allowing her into this fight so their fears for her were intensified. Yet they all believed in her skills, her abilities. And they believed she would be an asset, no matter what their fears.

Rio scanned the faces around her, soaking up the emotions on display. The nervousness she'd come in with evaporated as the support around her grew and she exhaled slowly, deeply. When she looked up she caught the grin from Rhage across the room and she shook her head with a small smirk.

"I'd like to partner you with Tohr," Wrath spoke, "but he's not back in the field yet. He wants you with Rhage for now and I agree. So he's your fighting partner."

The huge blond god's grin grew till it threatened to crack his face wide and Rio failed to contain her smirk. Wrath's brows drew down and he hit the desk hard.

"You will listen to him." He pointed at her. "This is training for you and you will take advantage of it."

"Yes, sir." She nodded briskly.

"And you will let her fight," Wrath threw at Rhage. "She's not going to be any good to us if you wrap her in cotton."

Rhage nodded hard, trying to rein in his elation.

"But… don't let her… get killed," Wrath growled, waving vaguely at them. He frowned hard again as something else occurred to him. "And you better fill her in about your… alter-ego before circumstances drop it on her head."

Rio looked around with interest as coughs and throat clearing swept the room like a bout of the flu.

"Oh, this sounds like something I've been waiting to hear for a long time," she ribbed, getting up and crooking her finger at the huge vampire. "Come on, teacher, you can instruct me on the way. Obviously, we're driving."

As they hit the bottom of the stairs, Mary appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Mary, perfect!" Rhage reached out and grabbed her hand.

Rio followed them into the library, shaking her head at Rhage's exuberance.

"Mary, Wrath's agreed to let Rio fight with the Brotherhood."

Mary gasped and her eyes shot to Rio, the questions alive.

"Apparently, it's a divine revelation," Rio muttered softly, "which is fine with me because I really do want to fight."

"Anyway, he's partnered us for a while and I need to explain about… the Beast."

Mary gasped again, her hand going to her mouth, and the expression of nervous expectation had Rio looking sharply at Rhage.

"I need to show her first. It'll make it easier." He sounded like he was almost asking permission for something.

"Go ahead, love, it's alright."

Rhage pulled his t-shirt off. Rio caught a quick look at his huge, perfectly muscled chest and shoulders and then he turned.

"Oh, my god!" she breathed. "That is magnificent."

Completely covering his tight, muscled back was a beautifully executed, brilliantly colored dragon. She could almost see the iridescent purple and green scales slide sinuously over the superb creature. Long white fangs filled a mouth made for tearing someone apart and the long thick tail would hold them down while doing it. And Rio could swear the black eyes followed her as she examined the creature closely.

"Rhage, that's some beast," she murmured breathlessly as he pulled his shirt back on. "Why am I sure there's a hell of a story behind that?"

He bent down to kiss Mary goodbye then headed for the door. Throwing a fast wave over her shoulder, Rio followed with Mary's laugh following.

"I was out of control growing up."

Rhage picked up his story as they crossed the courtyard to his GTO. Since Rio couldn't dematerialize, they would have to drive to their trolling area.

"I had too much of some stuff, not enough of others. Too much power, too much strength, not enough self-control, not enough respect for the world around me. I took everything I could, everyone I could, just because it was there. I took what other male's _shellans_ offered not considering where any of it might lead.

"There was this one female who played coy with me and so of course, I had to have her. It wasn't until I was inducted into the Brotherhood that she came around. I didn't realize until it was too late that she didn't want me. The weapons and my being a warrior were all that turned her on. Anyway, I let her handle my rifle and it went off. She killed an owl. A white barn owl. I realized as I held that small, fragile body and felt the life drain from it that carelessness is as great a sin as cruelty. And that I was as responsible for that death as if I'd pulled the trigger myself.

"That's when the Scribe Virgin showed up. Birds are her special love and the barn owl is her sacred symbol. She breathed it back to life and I thought it was all cleaned away. But she was furious with me and she cursed me with the beast. It was her way of making me take responsibility for my emotions. To learn self-control, how to regulate my energy, my moods. Whenever I get out of control the beast appears. I got two hundred years of it. I had only ninety-one years left on the curse when I made the deal to keep Mary alive when her leukemia was taking her from me. So now I have Mary and the beast for however long I've got left to live."

Rio was quiet for a few minutes then nodded. "Ok, so name me some of these circumstances Wrath was worrying about."

"If I get hurt in the field, or one of my brothers gets hurt, the beast will come out. It will decimate the enemy." His tone was hard, firm. "There's nothing left but a few scraps. If it happens, get the hell out of the way. I'm not always sure it recognizes the difference between friends and enemies and my biggest fear is I'll hurt one of my brothers if they get too close. And now you as well. Mary's been the only one who can get close to it. She can control it, even though I hate to have her anywhere near it."

"Well, don't you worry about me, Rhage. I'll be fine. I've got my own little gift, remember. But I won't leave myself open to any unnecessary danger so please don't get distracted by worrying if I'm alright."

By this time, they'd reached the area they planned to hunt in and Rhage parked and locked his car. They hit the streets, checking alley after alley and walking the streets in between. Rio was thrilled when they ran into several groups of _lessers_ over the night. She found she shared a common trait with Butch. As part of his persona as the Dhestroyer, because of the piece of himself the Omega had left in Butch when he'd tried to use the Irish cop to destroy the Brotherhood, Butch was able to detect _lessers_ in his vicinity.

Apparently Rio's gift gave her a similar ability. While Butch was able to sense actual _lessers,_ Rio only knew something was wrong close by. Something off. It never happened when anything wrong involved humans though, so it was as good a warning signal as Butch's talent.

"Ok, that's it for tonight," Rhage announced after they took their final loop around their area and headed toward the street where they'd parked his purple GTO. "We've got enough time to get cleaned up and head to ZeroSum for a few drinks before they close up."

"Really." Rio grinned at him. "Thought you didn't drink."

He grinned back at her. "I don't. Doesn't mean I can't watch you drink. Besides, can't abandon you after your first big shift on the streets."

She gave him a shot in the shoulder. "Thanks, partner, but if any of the others are heading out, I won't be abandoned, will I?"

"I'm your fighting partner for the time being. Without me, you're abandoned."


	24. Chapter 24

They pulled into the courtyard of the mansion a few minutes later and headed inside. Several of the Brothers were back from the field already and after establishing that she was going to the club with them and so nobody better leave without her, she headed upstairs for a fast shower. Thirty minutes later, she was walking into ZeroSum with Rhage, Butch and Vishous. John, Qhuinn and Blaylock were already there, having dematerialized from the mansion about five minutes earlier.

She scanned the club as she slid into the Brothers' table in the VIP section. Jace was working tonight and she was anxious to see him. Her first official night on the streets had her jazzed up and she seriously needed to share the mood with her friend. Drinks hit the table and Blay was leaning into her, his mouth close to her ear as he talked above the club noise when someone rapped knuckles on the table.

"Jace!" Rio cried happily, pushing on Rhage to get him to move. "Come on, partner, move that mass and let me outta here."

The snorts of laughter and smart ass jabs rolled over the huge gorgeous blond as he slid from the table and once Rio had slid out she threw herself into Jace's arms.

"Great to see you, baby." His grin lit up his face. "How was your first night?"

"Fantastic!" she bubbled. "Had a few run-ins, took out some whitey dudes and didn't even bloody up my clothes too bad. All in all, I think it was a pretty decent first night. How'd your night go?"

Jace nodded with smooth humor. "About the same, I'd have to say."

"Well, aren't we the pair?" She elbowed him.

Xhex shifted into sight and slanted a small smile at Rio. "How's the newest warrior?" she spoke in a low voice, the words not carrying beyond Rio's hearing.

Rio flashed a huge grin. "Excellent. Building my resumé. Gotta say, I miss the job, though."

Xhex nodded. "Miss having you here. But your boy is filling in nicely."

"That's good to hear," Rio chuckled. "And no less than I expected." 

Xhex kept moving, taking it out to the main floor, and with a quick kiss Jace followed.

Rhage shifted to let Rio back into the booth and she slid effortlessly back into the laughter and jokes bouncing around the table.

The mood was still high when security hustled out the last of the crowd at closing. Jace stopped in the VIP section after emptying a table and grabbed Rio around the waist.

"Come on, get a move on, will ya?" Butch griped. "The night's over so what are we still doing here?"

"What's that low pressure system all around you about?" she cracked, her eyebrows climbing. "Just because your other half won't be home for another hour doesn't mean you can write everything off for the rest of us."

"First of all," Butch pointed out, "he's coming home with us and secondly, your other half is already at home so I should think you'd be anxious to get there."

"Butch, bite me." Rio bared her teeth in a grin that looked more like a wolf considering dinner. "And lay off about Lassiter, ok. He's not my other half."

"Yeah, right, you keep telling yourself that," Butch grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall beside the back exit.

She shot him a grim, narrow eyed look and Butch cocked a shoulder in a loose hitch.

"Hey, I'm not talking anything that the whole damn world hasn't already seen, woman. Now can we go?"

"V? "Rio cranked up her eyebrows at the gorgeous, black haired warrior and pointed at his best friend and roommate. "Your boy?"

"Come on, cop." Vishous popped the back door. "Let's go start the truck."

The two vampires were leaning against the hood of the Escalade when everyone rolled out of the exit five minutes later. Jace and Rio were laughing at something Rhage had said. Xhex was close behind, shaking her head at the huge blond beautiful male and when Rio shot her a look over her shoulder, Xhex rolled her eyes.

John, Qhuinn and Blay had already dematerialized home and in an unusual move, Trez and iAm had left early with Rehv. Xhex double checked the door then turned to the club's private parking garage for her bike. V and Butch pushed themselves away from the Escalade and Rhage had just popped his door open when it happened.

Butch and Rio both stiffened, their heads cranking up in grim recognition.

"Fuck!" she snapped. "How many?"

"Too many," Butch shot back.

At that moment, the rank smell of baby powder and road kill hit them and as everyone spread out and turned they faced eight _lessers_ streaming into the alley.

Rio heard screaming. Who was screaming? Why the hell didn't somebody stop that? And why did her hands and arms hurt so bad? Wow, she felt like she'd been run over by a really big truck. Or maybe it was a tank. Yeah, that's what it was and my god, that screaming was really cranking her shit out.

Holy shit, it was dark. She could've sworn there'd been a full moon tonight but now – hell, she couldn't see a thing. Hey, it had been a good first night in the field. A great night. The club was closed but she still wanted another drink. A lot of drinks. Just have to get one from the bar in the billiards room. If she could only get to it. But damn, it was fucking dark. Somebody turn on the lights.

And somebody shut up that goddamn screaming.

"Is she finally out?" Wrath's voice was a deadly growl.

V's hand shook as he fired up a hand-rolled and he nodded. "It took Jane three shots to finally put her out," his bleak reply was a thin scratching in the ice cold room.

The space was crowded with warriors. Deadly resolve warring with icy cold shock dried up any possible conversation but Wrath was going to hear it all if he had to peel it out of them one by one.

"Somebody start fucking talking," his growl ratcheted up. "Where's Jace?"

"We put his body in the PT room and locked the door." Rhage answered, his voice stunned into a monotone murmur. "Doc Jane doesn't think Rio will wake up before tomorrow night, not with the strength of the knockout shots she took, but…"

He shrugged, the action louder than any words betraying his belief that anything was possible right now. He fell silent, his bent head and lax arms propped on his knees betraying his disbelief over the night's events.

Wrath slammed his fist on the desk, sending a shock wave through everyone. "I'm not hearing any fucking words!" he roared.

"Butch and I went out to the Escalade to wait for Xhex to finish closing up," Vishous spoke quietly. "About five minutes later everyone else came out. We were all just starting to head out when Butch and Rio both sensed the _lessers_ coming. And just like that they were there."

He fell silent for a moment, pulling deep on his smoke. Rhage picked up the story.

"There was no time for anything but getting into it. We couldn't call for backup, nothing. They were on us almost faster than we could arm up. There were eight of them. They must have been waiting for us, planning for this, cos they never travel in a pack that big. And there was no hesitation. They knew we were there."

"We'd put down three or four," Vishous took a turn again. "Left them for Butch to clean up after we were done. I turned to go after another one and I saw one pull a gun on Rio from behind. She was busy slicing and didn't see him. I yelled at the same time I pulled my SIG. Rio turned and Jace stepped in front of the _lesser_. He never got his blade up before the gun went off. He turned to Rio, said he loved her, and dropped."

"She went…" Butch faded out then cleared his throat a couple of times before he could continue. "She went nuclear. That piece of rat meat must of seen something in her eyes because he started backpedaling. She bellowed at him to stand still. And her voice! It… echoed. It sounded like three people talking at once." 

He looked around the room for confirmation. Vishous smoked hard. Rhage dropped his head, nodding slightly. Butch kept talking.

"She yelled at him to not move and he didn't. He just stood there and then she was on him. She hammered him bloody and she sliced him to pieces. And I mean pieces. With her dagger only. Arms and legs off and in between she hacked and stabbed at his chest and stomach."

He fell silent with a deep shudder. His horror over the raw violence of the slaughter rolled through the room like a thick, oily wave.

"I've seen some bad shit over the years on the force, really bad shit, but that…" He swallowed hard and coughed a couple of times before continuing. "I've never seen anything that vicious or bloody. We couldn't get her off him. She finally took his head before we could get her off him. And then she started screaming."

"She was still screaming when we got her down to the clinic," Rhage murmured, flat, shell shocked. "I tried putting her under on the way home but it didn't work. Nothing worked."

"Fuck," Wrath whispered, dropping his head into his hands. A moment later, he snapped upright. "Does Lassiter know what the hell's going on?"

Everyone jerked to attention. Heads turned, eyes wide in shock. Everybody shot to their feet.

"Goddamn it." Wrath breathed. "I take it that means no."

"I didn't see him when we got back here," V said.

Rhage and Butch looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Well, somebody better find him. Anybody know what him and Tohr were doing tonight?"

"Hiking up in the hills, I think," Rhage answered. "At least, I think that's what Tohr said at First Meal."

"Has he got his cell?"

V shook his head. "He never takes it when he goes up there."

"Fucking great!" Wrath growled. "Well, the sun'll be up in less than an hour. Getcha asses up there and see if you can find them before that. He's not going to be happy if we just wait for him to show up."

Beth, Mary and Bella were sitting in silence at the dining room table, cups of cooling tea in their hands. Everyone was in the hills looking for Tohrment and Lassiter but they only had about ten more minutes before sunrise.

The tension crawled through the room like a snake and the females knew without saying anything there was always the possibility that the fallen angel wouldn't come back to the mansion with Tohr. Sometimes he decided that the Brother needed some alone time and he would disappear for a while to give it to him. If the angel picked today to do it, nobody had a clue how to get a hold of him. They looked up as Jane materialized at the table and Beth raised her eyebrows in question. Jane shook her head.

"We just have to wait," she said softly. "Thank god she's still out, though."

One by one the Brothers materialized back at the mansion and as they filed through their expressions made it clear nobody had found the pair yet. The _shellans_ followed their males into the library. Wrath pulled Beth under his arm as they crossed to the couch.

"I swear that damn light bulb is trying to kill me," Tohr grumbled loudly as he staggered into the library. He stopped in his tracks as everyone turned to him, frowning when he saw the horror etched on every face. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, his breath whistling from his lungs like a slow leak. "Wrath?"

Before anyone could respond there was a massive crack of thunder, almost like a sonic boom, and a flash of light that blinded everyone in the room. They all knew Lassiter was there before he even spoke.

"Where is she?" his gorgeous, silver bell voice boomed through the room.

Jane stood up. "She's down in the clinic. I had to put her out, Lassiter. She was a mess physically and she couldn't stop screaming."

The light blazed again and the angel was gone.

Rio's eyes flew open. Instantly, her body was flooded with heat. And pain. She felt her mind fragmenting and without knowing why, a scream crawled its way up her throat. Her head kicked back and she opened her mouth to let the horrible pressure escape.

"No!" the deep, silver chime voice rolled out.

She realized the heat burning through her came from the huge body pinning her down, straddling her on the gurney. Lassiter leaned over, his muscled thighs tight on either side of her hips. He had her wrists clamped in his big hands, tight against the mattress above her head.

Her mouth opened wide and in a blink, she knew. She shrieked.

_"JACE!"_

The very human voice carried the weight of psychic anguish, a very powerful part of Rio's gift, and the sound carried through the entire mansion. Despite the fact that she lay in a room deep beneath the living quarters of everyone gathered, down long corridors of hewn stone, her cry carried as clearly as if she'd been in the next room.

Everyone gathered in the library jerked to attention as the agonized voice ricocheted around the room like a shot fired and Bella covered her mouth. Every _shellan_ felt Rio's pain far down in her soul, woman to woman. Though Jace wasn't her mate, her love for him went deep and the females all knew how they'd feel if any of them were facing the loss of one of their males.

"Fuck," Wrath muttered, his voice the harsh sting of gravel on an open wound. "That angel better do something for her or Jace won't be the only one we lose tonight."

Rio felt the shattering insider her trying to take over. Another scream rolled up her throat but before it could escape Lassiter yanked her up and into his massive arms. His mouth descended, covering hers as his golden glow blazed like the sun. She felt herself dissolving into him, the way he always possessed her before taking her to the white. Rio wound her arms around his neck as the shaking ripped through her, threatening to tear her apart.

He possessed her. Completely, totally, every inch of him caressing every inch of her. Inside and out. She felt his skin on hers, warm and smooth like heated silk. His hands burned every inch of her, his strong fingers searching out and bringing alive every nerve ending in her. She felt his massive, rock hard erection plunging into her, consuming her in every way a female can take a male, and his harsh groans of pleasure and the burning of his lust for her swamped her.

He poured out words of regret. For the agony she was suffering. That he hadn't been allowed to stop the act that now tore her to pieces. He murmured words of passion, of sorrow and hope, and promises. Vows of protection, given with everything he was. And love. Words of a love that knew no human limits, as abiding and immortal as he was.

Rio knew nothing but Lassiter. He was everywhere. All around her, filling every corner of her, mind and soul. She held him close, taking him into her body, seeing nothing when she opened her eyes except the white.

And Lassiter.

His sterling silver eyes burned through her like molten mercury; thick and hot, searing her to the bone. She saw his anguish twisting his stunning face and knew it was what he was feeling for her. For what she suffered.

He was wrapped around her, the only solid touch under her, and she knew instinctively that if she could see beyond the white there would still be nothing but Lassiter. No earth below them, nothing as weak and inconsequential as rooms or floors. Just the blackness of space and Lassiter around her like… life.

Always Lassiter. Only Lassiter. Ever.

And in that heartbeat of knowing, she came back together. The torment and horror that had been turning her into a mindless beast capable of nothing but madness was gone. And in another heartbeat of knowing, she realized the only thing that could strip away everything and leave her with nothing but death was the loss of Lassiter.

She would always hurt over Jace's death. She would always feel his loss deep in her heart and soul. But nothing would take all she was, leaving only an empty shell that would crave death except the absence of Lassiter.

She threaded her fingers through the gorgeous, soft fall of black and blond hair framing a face too beautiful for words. She felt his chest heave as he knew what she was now feeling, what filled her now. He threw back his head, searching for…

Rio still could only see the fallen angel wrapped in her arms but she knew he was seeing something else. Searching, asking, pleading. The tension ran through his huge, muscular body and his hold on her tightened.


	25. Chapter 25

An explosion. Of light, warmth. Sound that ripped, tore, shattered every cell in her being, but silent, without substance. A flood of love, that of a father for a beloved child, a giving, a passing over. A promise. Acknowledgment.

When Rio's sight returned, she saw triumph, joy beyond belief, a gratitude beyond words flooding Lassiter's face and in the same instant his release rocketed through him into her, shattering her completely. Her own orgasm picked up the shattering and scattered her through the universe and Rio heard Lassiter's roar even as she shrieked his name till her throat bled.

The Brothers paced, drinks in hand. Several had tried to shoot pool hoping for a distraction till something happened. They eventually gave up when it became glaringly apparent nobody could focus enough to hit a ball with a sledge hammer, never mind a cue stick. The _shellans_ sat close together on one couch, murmuring softly to each other, occasionally clasping hands in the hope the touch would soothe.

Nobody was soothed.

Jane had gone to the clinic not long after Lassiter had vanished. It was no surprise to anyone when she reported back that neither the angel nor Rio were down there. And so began the waiting.

Last Meal came and went uneaten.

The sun rose. The shutters sank. The warriors and their mates drifted, fighting the tension cranking everyone tighter than steel cable in a winch.

More pool was attempted and abandoned.

More liquor was consumed. Nobody got drunk no matter how much hooch was sucked back.

Everyone hit the clinic at one time or another, despite knowing that the two would come upstairs whenever they showed up. And after each report of a no-show - still - more drinks were poured, swallowed. And the steel cable winched tighter.

The sun sank. The shutters rose.

First Meal came and went uneaten.

And then a flash of light.

They came from every corner of the house.

"Library," Vishous said, heading across the mosaic tile foyer.

Rio was waiting, facing the door as the household's occupants rushed in. Lassiter stood behind her, his hands on her waist but clearly leaving her in charge.

"Thank the Scribe Virgin," Wrath growled, his arm tightening around Beth. "And about fucking time, too. Are you alright, Rio?"

A light golden haze flared around her and she nodded. She smiled slightly at the eyebrows popping up around the room.

"No, I'm not an angel," she answered the question hovering unspoken. "But I am more than I was."

_You were always that,_ John signed.

"Yeah, I guess." Rio's smile faded and her eyes shadowed briefly. "Jace is gone."

Jane stiffened among a chorus of gasps and Rio raised her hand.

"He's been… sent home. And I've been told that even though I'm not the fulfillment of a prophecy like Butch here," she waved at the cop standing close to V, "I still have my own destiny to fulfill. And apparently that's here. With the Brotherhood."

She turned to Wrath. "Rumor has it that you aren't going to have to worry about me anymore. Strength, healing abilities, even life span. I'm good to go."

Wrath flashed his fangs in a fierce grin and nodded in satisfaction.

There was an sharp whoop of approval and triumph, especially from the three younger vampires in front of her. Her boys. In the next instant, she was swept into strong arms and scooped off the floor. Qhuinn ignored Lassiter's growl as he swung her around before passing her to Blay and then John. Warrior eyes swung over to the angel as he strode across to the group but Rio held out her palm, stopping him.

"These are my boys, Lassiter," she laughed. ""This will happen. A lot."

"Not bloody likely," he growled, pulling her away from John and up into his arms. "I'm your only 'anything' and 'your boys' will be smart to remember that."

His silver eyes flared like spotlights as he swept his gaze over the gathered Brotherhood and their _shellans_ , all fighting their laughter over his territorial glare.

"And everybody might as well know now that my destiny is tied to Rio's. So if she's supposed to be here, you all better get used to seeing me around. Because where Rio is, so am I."

Rio grinned as the laughter changed to sounds of protests and harsh grumbling, swelling like a wave.

"Don't worry, boys," she smirked. "He won't be fighting with us. He's still got his own stuff to handle."

"I thought we were getting the chance to lay a beating on him once things with Tohr settled down," Vishous muttered, his brows dragged down in a huge frown. "How is that supposed to happen now, exactly?"

"Sorry, guys," Rio crooned softly. "He's mine and nobody but me gets to lay anything on him."

The groans and sounds of mock gagging filled the room.

"Goddamn it, Rio," Rhage yelled, covering his eyes. "I so did not need that fucking visual, thank you very much."

"Suck it up, big boy," her laugh cracked like a whip through the room and just as suddenly vanished with a gasp.

"Don't," Lassiter said sharply, tightening his hold on her. Wrath raised his head, catching the angel's gaze. "She can't go on rotation yet. I'm not done healing her."

The king nodded. "Do what you have to. Take care of her. Bring her back when it's done."

The aura surrounding Lassiter brightened like the rising sun till neither him nor Rio were visible in the blaze. Then just as slowly the light dimmed, fading, till there was only an afterglow that left everyone blinking hard.

Once again, Rio was drifting, feeling nothing but sensuous heat. She opened her eyes and again saw nothing but the white.

"Lassiter!" she cried in panic.

"Shh," his voice came to her, soft, possessive. "I'm here, mi corazón en la sangre."

"I can't see you," she sighed.

Strong arms encircled her and she gasped lightly.

"Can you feel me?" he breathed against her ear.

Rio gasped again as his warm hands slid down her suddenly bare body. Then she felt his naked heat press against her back. He molded himself to her; his massive chest against her back, his erect, throbbing cock tight against her ass, his hard thighs against her legs.

He caught one hardened nipple, tugging and rolling it between his fingers while his other hand shot between her parted thighs. Rio cried out, her legs boneless and shuddering as his fingers parted the slick folds of her sex and sank deep. His lips slid over the soft skin of her neck, his hot breath stripping her of any strength left. He worked her mercilessly till the tension winding tighter inside balanced her on a knife edge. Then he pushed her off.

He thrust his fingers deep, his thumb pressing against the hard nub at the top of her sex. The hand on her breast squeezed her nipple hard and at the same time, he sank his teeth into the fast pulse jumping just below her ear.

Rio screamed and exploded in his arms. Lassiter held her tightly, working her through her orgasm and as the spasms rippling through her started loosening her turned her in his arms.

Rio drowned in the beauty of his face, his body, and she felt too small to hold all the love she had for him. Lassiter reached out and caught her around the waist. He lifted her easily and in one swift move, settled her over his erection.

As her hot sheath squeezed him like a vise, his cock kicked inside her and threw her over the edge again. He thrust into her hard. Her spasms pulled and dragged at his pounding shaft and as his release tightened in the base of his spine and rolled up his cock, he roared her name.

Rio drifted, breathing in Lassiter's gorgeous scent as he wrapped himself around her. They spun slowly, held aloft by the angel's power, and she heard his silver chime voice echo softly through her mind.

"I will be with you always, Rio," he told her, his love for her overwhelming. "I will love you and protect you forever."

"Have you gotten your answer then?" she asked softly, drinking in his beauty, his face cupped in her hands.

His eyes flashed as he nodded. "Yes. I have nothing else to ask for. I have my service to my Creator and I have you. You are mine, now and always. I love you beyond all words. You are mi corazón en la sangre."

"You've been with me as long as I can remember," she told him. "I couldn't have survived without you, even more than Jace. You are my life. I love you, Lassiter."

She wrapped her arms around him, whispering his name as he held her against him. As his love enveloped her in a deep sensuous heat, Rio felt eternity open up inside her. Images filled her.

She saw the Brotherhood and every _shellan_ who loved those fierce, loyal warriors. She saw Wrath, the blind king, on his throne. Leading his people with strength and power and an unfailing belief that they will survive and flourish. She saw Jace, whole and healthy, smiling at her. And she saw her and Lassiter.

She lifted her head and looking at the angel in her arms, she saw her vision. Pure love in the form of this creature in her embrace. Love such as she'd never felt before flowed around her – from her to the angel, from the angel to her. And she knew this was her true destiny. The final destination in a lifetime of searching. She had finally found home.

Lassiter.

 

                                                                                                    THE END


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